Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" becomes 7th highest-grossing film worldwide

China

Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" becomes 7th highest-grossing film worldwide

2025-03-01 10:59 Last Updated At：23:17

Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" has grossed over 14.16 billion yuan (1.94 billion U.S. dollars) in box office revenue as of Saturday, surpassing "Spider-Man: No Way Home", and securing its position among the top seven films of all time globally.

The box office sensation has jumped from the eighth to seventh place on the global box office chart in just ten days. This animated film has not only become the highest-grossing animated film worldwide, but it is also the first in Chinese cinema history to surpass the 10 billion yuan (1.37 billion U.S. dollar) mark in the Asian market. Additionally, it has set a new record for the highest box office earnings in a single film market worldwide.

Since its release in various countries, "Ne Zha 2" has resonated with international audiences. Italian director Sergio Basso, a veteran with over 30 films to his name, praised the film for its stunning special effects and artistic design. He noted that the film's nuanced emotional depth is a testament to its quality, highlighting Ne Zha's iconic line -- "I am the master of my own destiny" -- as particularly relatable to Western viewers.

"The secret to a film's success lies in its ability to resonate universally with audiences, touching the sentiments that reside in everyone's hearts. In Latin, there is a similar saying - Homo faber fortunae suae, l'uomo è artefice della propria sorte (Man is the architect of his own fate). Despite the differences in environments thousands of years ago, both Europeans and Chinese have arrived at the same conclusion that if we can firmly believe in our sentiments and trust in the power of unity and brotherhood, we can grow together," he said.

Basso also highlighted the need for diverse cultural content in the global entertainment market, advocating for a harmonious coexistence of different cultures.

"China has a wealth of captivating mythological stories and fascinating historical narratives from various dynasties. China is eager to share these tales with the rest of the world, and through this sharing, we can deepen our understanding of one another. This exchange is a beautiful dance of cultural interaction, and we should all participate in this harmonious collaboration," he said.

China launches Shenzhou-23 manned spaceship

China's Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the country's northwest on Sunday, sending three astronauts to its orbiting space station.

The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, lifted off from the launch site at 23:08 Beijing Time (15:08 GMT).

The crew members consist of mission commander Zhu Yangzhu, and fellow astronauts Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying, who is also the first astronaut from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

In another notable first, one of the crew members is set to undertake a year-long stay aboard the space station, double the usual duration of previous Shenzhou missions.

After entering orbit, the Shenzhou-23 spaceship will perform a fast automated rendezvous and docking with the radial port of the space station core module Tianhe, forming a combination of three modules and three spacecraft.

Shenzhou-23 marks the 40th flight of China's manned spaceflight program and the seventh manned flight mission since the Tiangong space station entered its application and development phase in late 2022.