‘Ne Zha 2’ makes history once more as the first animated film to cross $2 billion at global box office

Chinese animated blockbuster Ne Zha 2 breaks $2 billion mark, becoming highest-grossing animated film and challenging Hollywood dominance.

Chinese animated blockbuster Ne Zha 2 has made history by surpassing the $2 billion mark at the global box office, achieving the milestone in just 33 days. Released during the highly lucrative Chinese New Year period, the film shattered multiple records and continues its remarkable run.

Directed by Jiaozi and produced on a reported budget of $80 million, Ne Zha 2 has been a massive success, garnering a 99% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Of its record-breaking earnings, over $1.96 billion has come from China alone, making it the highest-grossing film ever in a single market. It has surpassed Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ $936 million domestic haul and is on track to overtake it globally as well. Ne Zha 2 is also poised to surpass Avengers: Infinity War and enter the top five highest-grossing films of all time.

Currently, only six other films have crossed the $2 billion milestone. Once Ne Zha 2 moves past Infinity War and The Force Awakens, it will rank just behind Titanic ($2.2 billion), Avatar: The Way of Water ($2.3 billion), Avengers: Endgame ($2.7 billion), and Avatar ($2.9 billion). Notably, it has also overtaken Inside Out 2 ($1.7 billion) to become the highest-grossing animated movie ever, despite having a budget less than half of Pixar’s production.