#box-office-records

#box-office-records

Like its mischievous demigod protagonist, the Chinese animated fantasy film Ne Zha II has been a practically unstoppable force. Since its initial release in China, over Lunar New Year, the blockbuster has earned more than $2 billion worldwide. It's now the highest-grossing film of 2025, the highest-grossing animated film of all time, and the highest-grossing non-English-language film in history. The film has also been a magnet for conspiratorial chatter, with viewers and critics alike theorizing about the reasons for its box-office success.

In a year that's proven a bit soft at the box office, the biggest story (and just plain biggest film, period) is the monstrous power of " Ne Zha 2," a Chinese CGI animated feature that, during its theatrical release in January, utterly annihilated the likes of "Fantastic Four," "Superman," and even "A Minecraft Movie" to become the highest global earning film this year.

Like any good superhero, Ne Zha (pronounced "nuh jah") must balance his superpowers with super-size personal turmoil. Born human but juggling the unearthly abilities of both a god and a reincarnated demon, the animated preteen at the center of this summer's biggest blockbuster - one that in all likelihood you've never heard of - flies around courtesy of a red levitation ribbon while wearing a pair of flaming roller skates and armed with a fire-tipped spear and an earthquake-inducing Universe Ring.