The success of the blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" has ignited a merchandise craze, with products featuring characters from the show flying off the shelves and some items selling out completely.
Officially licensed brand stores have even posted notices, extending the arrival date of pre-sold "Ne Zha 2"-themed products to June. At a store in Nanjing City, east China's Jiangsu Province, "Ne Zha 2"-themed blind boxes are sold out, with pre-sales scheduled for June 30 this year.
"I bought one yesterday and gave it to a friend as a gift," said a resident. Sales figures indicate that authorized Ne Zha merchandise has generated over 50 million yuan (about 6.89 million U.S. dollars) in sales on platforms, with transaction volumes still on the rise.
On online shopping platforms, the official crowdfunding project for "Ne Zha 2" limited edition figurines continues to soar, surpassing nearly 30 million yuan, far exceeding its initial goal of 100,000 yuan.
Operators said that through crowdfunding, they can precisely match supply with demand, thus reducing inventory risks.
"We anticipated the popularity of the movie at the start, but never imagined it would reach such heights. And our customer service staff are also a bit swamped," said Ma Chuan, a staff member of the manufacturer of official "Ne Zha 2" derivative products.
Guo Yingying, general manager of an IP operation management and commercial development platform, said the development of "Ne Zha 2" merchandise has been synchronized with the film production.
"Our collaborations with film and television IPs have become more diversified. More products have been integrated to the whole production process of the film, from planning and investment in the early stage, to film shooting in the middle stage, and to the release of the film in the later stage," said Guo.
"Ne Zha 2" has surpassed Disney's 2019 "The Lion King" to claim a spot among the 10 highest-grossing films of all times, with global earnings, including presales, exceeding 12.05 billion yuan (about 1.67 billion U.S. dollars), according to data from ticketing platform Maoyan as of Monday afternoon.
This achievement comes on the 20th day since the film's release during the Chinese New Year on Jan. 29.
Merchandise sees soaring sales as ''Ne Zha 2'' breaks box office records
