What if I told you there was an animated family movie about to cross the $2 billion mark at the box office that most Americans have never heard of? <\/p>\n
It’s called Ne Zha 2, and it’s an animated sequel to a 2019 international Chinese hit (which made over $700 million itself) that has been doing gangbusters everywhere except in the United States. In fact, only 1.2% of its box office has come from here. <\/p>\n
While it has been expanding to 2500 theaters in the United States, the money it is making overseas puts it among the highest-grossing movies of all time. It currently stands at $1,901,425,268<\/a> worldwide and counting. <\/p>\n So let’s dissect this hit. <\/p>\n – YouTube www.youtube.com<\/a> <\/p>\n Where Did This Hit Come From? <\/p>\n Ne Zha 2 was released in China on January 29, 2025, to coincide with the Chinese New Year. An English-dubbed version was later released in the United States by distributor A24.<\/p>\n The director, Yu Yang (commonly known as Jiaozi), is famously meticulous. He and his team at Coloroom Pictures spent years crafting the sequel to meet the sky-high expectations set by the first film, focusing on intricate storytelling and pushing the boundaries of their animation.<\/p>\n How Did It Make So Much Money? <\/p>\n So, this movie was part of a culture war in China, where some people believed that if you didn’t go see it in theaters, you were unpatriotic.<\/a> That drove people by the millions to see it, and it really helped the box office. <\/p>\n This movie made a lot of money in China and then traveled well. It’s a four-quadrant movie that was dubbed in many languages, and now has added Michelle Yeoh’s voice<\/a> for its American release. <\/p>\n We often think about Hollywood selling abroad, but we’ve seen recently that international movies can go anywhere, including here. <\/p>\n And this movie didn’t even need America to make money. We’re the icing on the cake. <\/p>\n Filmmaking Lessons <\/p>\n