Chinese box office hit "Ne Zha 2" premieres in Philippines

China's blockbuster hit "Ne Zha 2" premiered overseas on Sunday in the Philippines, captivating audiences with its creative choreography and compelling storyline.

The Quezon City premiere, held in the heart of Metro Manila, welcomed guests to enjoy the film and made tickets available for purchase, ahead of its nationwide release in the Philippines on March 12.

Karen Zabaljauregui, Senior Assistant Vice President at SM Cinema, reported strong pre-sale box office performance, ranking second across the group's cinemas, and expressed confidence in the film's popularity upon release.

"The humor in the movie, and a lot of references to the family, and we see a lot of relatable bits and pieces of the story. So it's not going to be a problem. There will be word of mouth that will be spreading once the movie starts screening," said Zabaljauregui.

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian expressed his hope during a speech that the release of "Ne Zha 2" in the Philippines and other Asian countries would allow audiences to appreciate the allure of Chinese culture.

"Through today's screening, I hope that we will not only appreciate the splendor of Chinese culture, but also draw strength from this film. The courage to forge ahead despite difficulties and the determination to break through constraints and pioneered new frontiers," said Huang.

Nearly 400 people attended the opening premiere, with the audience enjoying the film across two screening rooms. The movie's production quality and its rich Chinese cultural themes have received praise from Filipino viewers.

"This is the first time I have seen this kind of animation, very detailed. And I think that even the smallest aspect of it is really, really good, actually," said Ica lansang, a local moviegoer.

"I feel happy, emotional and action part is very thrilling. This story is very captivating. I love Nezha's character, his character development from the first movie up until now, the character development is very, very good," said Sarah Nesperos, another moviegoer.

"I actually watched the first "Nezha" movie and followed its story very well. I'm also familiar with the Chinese mythology behind it. So, watching "Ne Zha 2" definitely showed me a bigger lore about Chinese mythology. I learned some things and definitely saw how amazing the animation style that China has been doing. So, a huge kudos to that. And I hope you guys really watch this in the cinemas," said Claude Ang, a moviegoer.

"Ne Zha 2" was released on January 29, during the 2025 Chinese New Year festival holiday. It entered the list of top 10 highest-grossing films of all time globally on February 17, the 20th day after its release.

It has become the first film to gross over 1 billion U.S. dollars in a single market and the first non-Hollywood film to enter the coveted billion-dollar club. It also dethroned Disney's 2024 picture Inside Out 2 to become the highest-grossing animated movie of all time globally.

"Ne Zha 2" is a sequel to the 2019 animated box office hit "Ne Zha". Inspired by a Chinese mythological figure with the same name, the film has captivated audiences with its vivid storytelling and jaw-dropping visuals while featuring themes of defiance, fate, and self-confidence, which resonate universally.

Chinese box office hit "Ne Zha 2" premieres in Philippines

Chinese box office hit "Ne Zha 2" premieres in Philippines

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday called on the international community to promote dialogue among the parties involved in the conflict in the Middle East.

Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks in a phone conversation with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty at the latter's request.

Abdelatty briefed Wang on his views on the development of the regional situation. Expressing that the Egyptian side is deeply concerned about the current situation, he said that if energy and power facilities are attacked and paralyzed, it will lead to chaos throughout the region.

To cool down the situation, Egypt is communicating with all parties and actively promoting negotiations, he said.

Noting that Egypt and China are comprehensive strategic partners, Abdelatty said that Egypt is willing to maintain close coordination with China and jointly enhance diplomatic efforts to prevent the region and the world from falling further into turmoil.

For his part, Wang said that both China and Egypt are responsible countries that both oppose military operations without authorization from the UN Security Council, oppose attacks on civilians and civilian facilities, and do not approve of the conflict spreading to the Gulf countries.

The situation in the Middle East is changing rapidly, Wang said, pointing out that both the United States and Iran are signaling their readiness to negotiate. A glimmer of hope for peace has emerged, he said.

If this war continues, it will only bring more casualties and unnecessary losses, leading to further spillover of the situation, Wang said.

Stressing that as long as there is dialogue, there is hope for peace, Wang said that the actions of the Security Council should help ease the situation and promote dialogue, and help prevent the expansion of the war instead of giving a pass to the use of force.

Noting that China supports Egypt in continuing to play a mediating role in promoting the resumption of peace talks and the cessation of the war, Wang said that China is also willing to continue with its constructive efforts to this end.

Chinese FM calls on world to promote dialogue among parties to Mideast conflict