Chinese animated powerhouse "Ne Zha 2" climbed to the top as the highest-grossing animated film of all time globally on Tuesday.
With global earnings, including presales, its total box office takings reached 12.321 billion yuan (around 1.7 billion U.S. dollars), surpassing the Inside Out 2 which profited 12.319 billion yuan, according to data from ticketing platform Maoyan as of Tuesday evening.
It is now the eighth most lucrative movies ever made.
This milestone comes just 20 days after its release on Jan. 29 during the Chinese New Year and one day after it reached the all-time global box office top 10.
The achievement adds to an impressive list of records for the film, including the first to gross one billion U.S. dollars in a single market and the first non-Hollywood title to join the coveted billion-dollar club.
The movie's performance abroad is also pretty impressive, with overseas box office topping 10 million U.S. dollars.
Drawing inspiration from a mythological tale dating back to China's Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) period, the movie showcases cutting-edge special effects, demonstrating the creativity of the Chinese movie industry. By combining various traditional Chinese cultural elements into the plot, imagery, and characters, the movie also highlights the unique charm of Chinese culture.
Chinese blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" becomes highest-grossing animated film of all time globally
Chinese blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" becomes highest-grossing animated film of all time globally
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.
Hong Kong's first astronaut ignites citywide enthusiasm over space exploration
