Box Office: Ne Zha 2 dominates Southeast Asia, opens at No 1 in multiple markets

Ne Zha 2 continues its box office domination, topping charts in Southeast Asia with a USD 3.5 million debut in Malaysia and strong openings in Thailand and the Philippines.

Written by Seema Sinha , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Mar 18, 2025 | 12:01 PM IST | 10.4K

Picture Courtesy: IMDb

Warner Bros. is rejoicing in the profits Ne Zha 2, the highly anticipated sequel to 2019’s Ne Zha, is bringing in across Southeast Asia. The Chinese animated juggernaut debuted at No. 1 in both Thailand and the Philippines over the weekend, but its most significant success came in Malaysia, where it grossed a staggering USD 3.5 million during its four-day run. The impressive start raises expectations for a strong debut in Indonesia next weekend, where the aforementioned enterprise is also handling distribution.

Directed by Jiaozi and inspired by Chinese mythology and the classic 16th-century novel Investiture of the Gods, Ne Zha 2 continues the story of the titular demigod and his companion Ao Bing as spirits after their physical forms were destroyed in the preceding movie. Released in China on January 29, coinciding with the Chinese New Year, the film was met with widespread acclaim from critics and audiences alike.

The film has since gone on to shatter multiple box office records, grossing over USD 2 billion worldwide on a USD 80 million production budget. Domestically, it became the highest-grossing film ever, while internationally, it broke several significant records to become the highest-grossing animated film of all time, the highest-grossing non-English-language film, and the first non-English film to surpass both the USD 1 billion and USD 2 billion milestones.

Additionally, it ranks as the highest-grossing film of 2025 and the fifth highest-grossing film in history, surpassing Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Infinity War, and Spider-Man: No Way Home.

With its remarkable debut in Malaysia, Ne Zha 2 shows no signs of slowing down. It also affirms the growing influence of Chinese animation in the global market, which was long dominated by Western studios like DreamWorks, Pixar, and Disney.

Southeast Asia has proven to be a crucial market for the film, and given Ne Zha 2’s strong trajectory, it is likely to continue breaking records in the region.

The film’s expansion to European markets is also underway. On Friday, cinemas in the UK and Ireland held preview screenings ahead of its March 21 debut in both countries, with further European rollouts to follow.