Sales of merchandise for Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" boom nationwide

China

Sales of merchandise for Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" boom nationwide

2025-02-11 12:52 Last Updated At：02-12 00:47

The intellectual property (IP) merchandise for Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" has become a smash hit in recent days, with fans of the film scrambling to get their Ne Zha-themed souvenirs across China.

At a movie theater in Shanghai, Na Zha-related goods were almost sold out, with only a few items like figurines, blind box cards, and popcorn buckets remaining.

"Many of the most popular items were already sold out during the Spring Festival holiday [from January 28 to February 4]. This is our third restock already," said a staff member at the movie theater.

Formally known as "Ne Zha: Demon Child Conquers the Sea", the film is the sequel to the 2019 animated blockbuster "Ne Zha", drawing inspiration from the tale of a mythological figure of the same name from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) novel "Fengshen Yanyi", or "The Investiture of the Gods".

The enthusiasm toward "Ne Zha 2" has extended beyond movie theaters. At an anime merchandise store, acrylic-made ticket stubs and stress-relief toys featuring "Ne Zha" have been completely sold out as well.

The booming sales have prompted toy manufacturers to accelerate production. In Xiangtan, a city in central China's Hunan Province, Hunan Sunny and Sandy Toys Manufacturer, a company licensed to produce 3D toys of Ne Zha 2, brought over 500 workers back to the production line on Feb 2, the sixth day of the eight-day Chinese New Year holiday to meet the surging demand from consumers.

"About of 60 production lines in five factories have all been running at full capacity to produce merchandise for the blockbuster of Chinese animation Ne Zha. Our monthly production capacity for blind boxes alone is now between 6 million and 8 million units," said Yang Jie, board chairman of the company.

Yang also said that the company previously relied on well-known international IP to produce and export toys, but the rising popularity of Chinese animation has enabled the company to shift focus to the domestic market. So far, the company's Ne Zha figurines and related toys have achieved accumulative sales of over 200 million yuan (about 27.3 million U.S. dollars) on online platforms.

Hong Kong's first astronaut ignites citywide enthusiasm over space exploration

Hong Kong's first astronaut lifted off into space on Sunday, sparking a wave of enthusiasm for space exploration in the special administrative region, while inspiring a new generation to look to the stars.

The Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 23:08 (Beijing Time) on Sunday. The crew members include Lai Ka-ying, the first astronaut and payload specialist from Hong Kong to join a national space mission, whose achievements have motivated many Hong Kong residents.

"I feel so happy and thrilled. This is the first time a Hong Kong astronaut has gone to space, and to see a true Hong Konger, who is also a mother of three, just really touches my heart," said Chow, a local resident.

The successful spaceflight of Lai has especially captivated the younger generation to dream bigger about the future.

"I want to be an astronaut, because I want to discover more things about space," said a young student surnamed Chow.

"I have seen things related to spaceflights of astronauts. I hope when I grow up, I could receive training and go to space myself," said another student surnamed Koo.

To meet public expectations, the Hong Kong Space Museum has updated its space-themed exhibition with the latest development of the Shenzhou-23 mission, extending the display until July 6. Parents are seizing the moment to enrich their children's knowledge.

"At his age, I want him to be exposed to a wide range of information. With all the recent astronaut news, I brought him here specially to see for himself. We will also check out a film about space knowledge at the planetarium. I hope he can get more out of this from an early age," said Cheung, a father.

"We just watched the Shenzhou-23 launch at home with my son last night, and decided to take him to the Space Museum," a mother surnamed Chun shared.

"I saw on TV that so many people were cheering for the launch. When the rocket was launched, fire burst out from its body. I was really happy they succeeded," said Chun's son.