Ahead of "Inside Out 2": Chinese animated film "Ne Zha 2" became the highest grossing in history

It seemed that nothing could displace American cartoons from their leading positions in the global film market. But the year 2025 began with surprises: first, the Latvian film "The Last Cat on Earth" took away the Golden Globe from its competitors, and now the Chinese animated film "Ne Zha 2" has pushed the sequel to "Inside Out" from the position of the highest-grossing cartoon.

According to Collider, the film grossed $1.704 billion in 21 days of release. Meanwhile, "Inside Out 2" has now stopped at $1.698 billion. At the same time, "Ne Zha 2" is still in theaters, so the announced figures are not final. Experts predict a historic achievement for the Chinese sensation – it is likely to become the first cartoon to gross the full $2 billion.

"Ne Zha 2" is currently ranked 8th in the list of the highest-grossing films in the history of cinema. It is 200 million dollars short of the blockbuster "Spider-Man: No Way Home".

"Ne Zha 2" is a sequel to the hit 2019 animated film directed by self-taught animator Yang Yu (Jiaozi). He adapted the 16th-century Chinese novel "The Clothes of the Gods." The fantasy film told the story of an unusual boy-god named Ne Zha, who was born from a magic pearl and has the power of fire. In the sequel, he fights the king of dragons to protect the fortress city of Chengtangguan and avoid global chaos.

The movie received rave reviews from critics and audiences. "Ne Zha 2" is praised for its bold approach to animation and interesting reinterpretation of Eastern philosophical ideas, presented in a fascinating story and embodied in a simple and understandable form.

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