Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" wows Filipino moviegoers

The Chinese animated film "Ne Zha 2" premiered in the Philippines on Wednesday, impressing Filipino moviegoers with its breathtaking animation, spectacular action sequences, and rich mythological elements.

"Ne Zha 2" recently set a new record as the highest-grossing animated film of all time in China, and started screening in theaters across the Philippines.

To better promote the film and attract a wider audience, employees at a cinema in the Greater Manila Area styled their hair to resemble Ne Zha's iconic look and cosplayed as the remarkable character.

Jay Reyes, manager at SM Aura's cinema operations branch, praised the Chinese animated film for its high production quality.

"As of now, the 'Ne Zha 2' is doing great in terms of advance ticket selling. It's quite surprising that China can make this kind of animation. I can recommend this to all Filipinos to watch it because the film is really good," said Reyes.

Filipino audiences are captivated by the unique cinematic experience offered by this blockbuster from China.

"I like to watch a combination of all stuff like action drama, I mean a little bit of drama and some comedy," said Daniel Martin, a boy who had just watched the film.

"Since we actually watched the last scene, the 'Ne Zha 1', we're so excited to see the 'Ne Zha 2'. We're so excited to watch that. And we've been so grateful, and we've been so overwhelmed about the 'Ne Zha 2'. Actually, the animation improved a lot. The other one is good, but the 'Ne Zha 2' is much better than the animation from the last one," said Kim Kho, an audience.

The film, the sequel to 2019's "Ne Zha," was first released in China on Jan. 29. It continues the tale of the iconic boy god from Chinese mythology as Ne Zha and his ally Ao Bing struggle to rebuild their physical forms and secure their fate with the help of the immortal Taiyi Zhenren.

According to data from ticketing platform Maoyan, "Ne Zha 2" has become the first non-Hollywood film to exceed 2 billion U.S. dollars in global earnings, including presales.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced Wednesday it had launched the 89th wave of Operation True Promise 4, carrying out strikes against U.S. and Israeli targets in the region.

The IRGC said in a statement that Iran and various resistance fronts, through coordinated operations, used heavy missiles, attack drones, and rockets to strike U.S. military bases and Israeli targets.

The statement said the operation targeted Israeli military facilities and assembly points in Eilat, Tel Aviv, Bnei Brak, and other locations, and claimed that, according to local sources, it had caused significant Israeli casualties.

The IRGC also stated that it had hit a location in Bahrain housing 80 U.S. troops, and Iranian ballistic missiles struck a U.S. helicopter formation at a base in Kuwait, destroying one helicopter and damaging others.