China's animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" was officially released in Malaysia on Thursday, captivating audiences with its record-breaking success in China, positive reviews, and widespread social media acclaim.
Eager moviegoers flocked to witness the cinematic spectacle firsthand, and they were quick to praise the movie's depiction of Chinese culture, stunning visual effect, and well-crafted storyline, expressing enthusiasm for the fresh take on animated storytelling.
"It's fantastic, truly fantastic, and the plot beautifully encapsulates our Chinese culture. It's great," said a moviegoer.
"I never expected a Chinese story to have such a high-quality visual effect and a well-developed narrative," said another moviegoer.
"We used to watch Japanese animations, which are relatively passionate. Now, I think these are more passionate than them," said still another moviegoer.
Tan Cheong Tatt, chief operations officer of TGV Cinemas, highlighted the unprecedented response to "Ne Zha 2".
"The customers have been starting booking ticket on [since] Sunday when we first allowed ticket booking, and the response has been to the extent that we have not seen before. So, we are very encouraged by the response," he said.
Meanwhile, the recent success of two other Chinese films during the Chinese New Year holiday season in late January and early February underscores the rising trend of Chinese cinema in Malaysia.
"We are very pleased to see that [there is] significant improvement in terms of quality of the Chinese movie, Chinese-made movie, in terms of the storyline, in terms of appeal to the customers, and we also find that they appeal to all segments of customers in Malaysia," Tan said.
Chinese-language films in Malaysia are subtitled in English and Malay, broadening their appeal beyond the ethnic Chinese population to attract a diverse audience and contributing to the continuous success of Chinese films at the Malaysian box office.
"Ne Zha 2" has achieved the milestone of grossing 1 billion U.S. dollars in a single market, China, where it was released on Jan. 29. It has become the first non-Hollywood film to exceed 2 billion U.S. dollars in global earnings, including presales, according to data from ticketing platform Maoyan.
Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" captivates Malaysian audiences
