Box Office: Animated juggernaut Ne Zha 2 maintains its dominance in China as new films open to tepid numbers

Ne Zha 2 continues its box office dominance in China, adding to its massive total, while new releases struggle to gain traction with modest opening weekend numbers.

Written by Seema Sinha , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Mar 25, 2025 | 12:01 PM IST | 6.8K

Picture Courtesy: IMDb

Ne Zha has been reigning atop the Chinese box office since its January 29 debut, and the weekend of March 21 to 23 was no different. The animated juggernaut maintained its dominant position while new releases made humble debuts.

Ne Zha 2 earned USD 11.9 million over the weekend, bringing its cumulative domestic total to USD 2.081 billion. In its eighth week, the blockbuster sequel to 2019’s Ne Zha continues to captivate audiences. In IMAX, Ne Zha 2 added USD 1.8 million globally, with a 41 percent drop from the previous weekend, taking its global cume in the format to USD 158.2 million—USD 154 million of which comes from China alone.

Hanna Pictures’ The River of Fury debuted in second place with USD 2 million. The crime thriller, chronicling the mysterious disappearance of a woman, is directed by Feng Yongqin.

Detective Chinatown 1900 from As One Productions continued its strong performance, securing third place with USD 1.9 million. The title, which arrived alongside Ne Zha 2 during the Spring Break holiday, has amassed USD 492.1 million so far.

Lian Ray Pictures’ New Life took fourth place, earning USD 1.7 million. The debutant, directed by Dong Hongjie, follows a lonely worker who befriends a stray dog.

Rounding out the top five was Cinema City’s re-release of the restored version of the Tsui Hark-produced supernatural romance A Chinese Ghost Story. The flick earned USD 1.4 million.

The weekend’s total box office reached USD 24.5 million, marking a decrease from the previous weekend’s USD 36.1 million. Nevertheless, China’s 2025 gross as of this writing stands at USD 3.36 billion—a 53.4 percent increase over the same period last year—highlighting the market’s resilience despite a modest slate following the substantial Lunar New Year period.

Returning to Ne Zha 2, the feature, for those who may not know, continues the journey of the titular demigod and his companion Ao Bing as they seek to retrieve their physical forms with the help of their master. The movie is being praised globally for its stunning CGI work and a narrative deeply rooted in Chinese mythology.

With its impressive two-month run, the film has surpassed the box office standings of several world-renowned franchise entries, including Spider-Man: No Way Home, Avengers: Infinity War, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Its next target is beating the lifetime collection of Titanic, which, with the help of multiple re-releases since 1997, has accumulated USD 2.2 billion.

Will it be able to top the James Cameron classic? And if so, how soon? Stay tuned, as we’ll be the first to report any developments in that direction.