Australia's major cinema chain Hoyts has increased screenings of "Ne Zha 2", China's highest grossing animated film so far, by 22 percent starting Tuesday, to meet the growing audience demand.
Since its release in Australia in February, the animated film, a sequel to the 2019 hit featuring a mythical boy with magical powers and exceptional martial arts skills, has been enjoying strong box office success. It continued to dominate the box office on Monday at Hoyts, Australia's second-largest cinema chain, surpassing popular films such as Captain America: Civil War and securing the top spot.
Local audiences have embraced the sequel, praising its humor, animation quality, and storytelling.
"I really like the first version of it, and the second was great as well. It's a lot funnier, [with] a lot more comedy. The animation, the detail is a lot more impressive than you'd normally see," said Tom, a local audience member.
Chris, another local viewer, appreciated the film's adaptation of historical legends into a modern context.
"I like that there is like [a] historical context. So [it's] like proper legends and [that are] then turned into a modern context. That's really nice. I like how it's like sort of good and bad characters that take control over their own fate and work together. That's really nice too," he said.
Alex Hadlow, a location manager at Hoyts Cinemas, acknowledged the growing influence of Chinese films in the Australian market.
"I think we can't overlook the power of the film industry from China and how the growing popularity for the films from China. Personally, I enjoy a lot of Chinese films. So, I'm excited for what the future holds," he said.
"Ne Zha 2" has become the first non-Hollywood film to exceed 2 billion U.S. dollars in global earnings, including presales, according to data from Chinese ticketing platform Maoyan.
Chinese animated blockbuster sees rising popularity in Australia
