The sheer potential of the global theatrical market is perhaps too humongous to comprehend, as is being proven in China alone this week. The Middle Kingdom witnessed something of an explosion during the Chinese New Year period, with a string of major new films grossing a combined total of over $1.3 billion during the past weekend. The biggest of the lot is the animated sequel Ne Zha 2, which broke several box office records in the first week of its release. The movie also overtook Moana 2 to deliver the biggest-ever debut haul for an animated title.

Ne Zha 2 grossed more than $430 million in its five-day debut, exceeding the $386 million global debut of Moana 2 from last November. Moana 2 recently passed the $1 billion mark worldwide, and has grossed $1.037 billion so far. Of this total, only $15 million came from China, while North America contributed more than $450 million. Ne Zha 2, on the other hand, has been on an earth-shattering run. The movie has already passed the $700 million mark in China alone, and could hit the $750 million mark as early as Wednesday. This puts it ahead of the first Ne Zha, which concluded its global run with $742 million in 2019.

Ne Zha 2 will soon overtake The Battle at Lake Changjin to become the highest-grossing Chinese film of all time. If it passes the $936 million mark, it'll overtake Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens to deliver the biggest single-territory gross of all time. Ne Zha 2 also has a shot at becoming the first film in history to pass the $1 billion mark in one country. Chinese platform Maoyan is predicting a lifetime haul of $1.2 billion in China, according to Deadline. The Middle Kingdom, over the course of a decade or so, has cultivated a robust local film industry of its own. China relied on foreign films to sustain its marketplace for several years, before certain limitations were imposed on the number of foreign titles that could be released there.

'Ne Zha 2' Will Be Released in North America on February 14

Ne Zha 2 is already among the 30 highest-grossing animated movies of all time, and will soon overtake the likes of Shrek Forever After, Coco, and the first Inside Out. If it actually ends up hitting the $1.2 billion mark, it will become one of the five highest-grossing animated movies ever. The top five list currently includes Incredibles 2 ($1.2 billion), Frozen ($1.2 billion), The SupeMario Bros. Movie ($1.3 billion), Frozen II ($1.4 billion), and Inside Out 2 ($1.6 billion). Produced on a reported budget of $80 million, Ne Zha 2 is directed by Jiaozi, and is currently the highest-grossing film of 2025. The movie will be released domestically on February 14. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.