Chinese animated film Ne Zha: Rebellion of the Demon Child in the Eastern Sea (referred to as Ne Zha 2) premiered on the first day of the Lunar New Year (January 29) and, after a run of 153 days, finally exited theaters on June 30. Its total box office reached 15.44 billion yuan (about 9 billion ringgit), with 324 million total viewers, making it the box office champion in China’s film history, the highest viewer count in Chinese film history, the 5th highest-grossing film of all time worldwide, and the top-grossing animated film globally. Ne Zha 2 also had an impressive performance in Malaysia, successfully breaking the 50 million ringgit mark at the box office.
On Weibo, Ne Zha 2 posted a video of Ne Zha and Ao Bing waving goodbye as dolls, with the caption: “What a blessing to accompany you on this journey, for every encounter is truly one of a kind.” As for the sequel Ne Zha 3, Light Chaser Animation’s chairman Wang Changtian has repeatedly stated publicly that the production of Ne Zha 3 is far more challenging than expected, requiring about five years of development. Director Jiaozi has entered a phase of seclusion to focus on creation, and the team is going all out to overcome technical challenges.
Source: Apple Daily News