Box Office: Ne Zha 2 surpasses Star Wars The Force Awakens, becomes fifth highest-grossing film globally

Ne Zha 2 outpaced The Force Awakens with over USD 2.07 billion worldwide, climbing to the fifth spot among the highest-grossing films in history at the global box office.

Written by Seema Sinha , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Mar 12, 2025 | 02:01 PM IST | 15.8K

Picture Courtesy: IMDb

Ne Zha 2, the Chinese animated blockbuster, has surpassed Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ worldwide total of USD 2.07 billion, securing its place as the fifth highest-grossing film of all time at the global box office. Since its January 29 debut, the film has taken China by storm, amassing an astounding USD 2.03 billion from its domestic market alone in just 42 days.

Over its sixth full week in theaters, Ne Zha 2 collected another USD 2 million in China, maintaining a dominant presence despite a decline in screen numbers. On its sixth Tuesday, the film set a new record for the biggest sixth Tuesday gross in a single market, dropping just 41.2% from the previous week. With USD 322,000 in presales for its seventh Wednesday across 136,000 screens, it remains a box office force.

For the unversed, directed by Jiaozi, Ne Zha 2 continues the story of the beloved titular mythological figure, drawing inspiration from classic Chinese mythology and the 16th-century novel Investiture of the Gods. The film serves as both a sequel to 2019’s Ne Zha and the third installment in Enlight Pictures’ Fengshen Universe. With its release coinciding with the Chinese New Year, the film has garnered acclaim from critics and audiences alike.

Here are some of Ne Zha 2’s additional box office milestones: The film is now the highest-grossing animated film of all time, surpassing Pixar’s Inside Out 2. Additionally, it holds the title of the highest-grossing non-English-language film ever, being the first film in the category to cross both the USD 1 billion and USD 2 billion milestones. The film also stands as the highest-grossing release of 2025 so far, further flexing the strength of Chinese cinema on the world stage.

Our estimate suggests Ne Zha 2 has the potential to hold the crown when we wrap up this year’s box office rankings around the same time next year. If the forecast manifests, the film would have bested many of 2025's highly anticipated releases, like Mission: Impossible 8 and Avatar 3.

The story of the demigod on a mission to retrieve an elixir that would restore his and his companion Ao Bing’s physical forms stands as a monumental achievement in the global film industry.