Finally, I found time on Saturday night to see “Ne Zha 2” at a local cinema, China’s record-breaking animated fantasy adventure film which is now ranked 7th on the all-time global box office chart, with a total office revenue surpassing that of “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, according to cinema ticketing platforms cited by Xinhua.
The film has been shown by seven cineplexes in Macau in Putonghua with Chinese and English subtitles since February 22. However, many locals have been flocking to see the film in cinemas in Zhuhai where ticket prices are more affordable.
The movie entered the list of the top 10 highest-grossing films of all time globally on February 17, the 20th day after its release on January 29, the first day of the 2025 Chinese New Year.
As of 1:50 p.m. on Saturday, about six hours before I began watching the film in one of Macau’s state-of-the-art movie theatres, its global earnings had exceeded 14.2 billion yuan (nearly US$2.0 billion), according to ticketing platform Maoyan.
This milestone, Xinhua pointed out, is just one of the film’s various impressive achievements, such as it is now the world’s first movie to gross over US$1 billion in a single market, and the first non-Hollywood film to enter the coveted billion dollar- club. And, last but not least, is has dethroned Disney’s 2024 movie “Inside Out 2” to become the highest-grossing animated movie of all time globally.
Just a few years ago it would have been unimaginable that a Chinese movie would be able to garner a global film ranking of that stature.
Before seeing the film, some of my friends “warned” me that it has a running time of 144 minutes, i.e., two hours and 24 minutes. Customarily, most mainstream movies average around 90 minutes.
Of course, epic films – such as Avatar (162 minutes) often run much longer to accommodate particularly complex screenplays and elaborate action scenes – as is the case with “Ne Zha 2”.
As its title indicates, “Ne Zha 2” is a sequel to the 2019 animated box office hit “Ne Zha”, both written and directed by Jiaozi (born Yang Yu in Luzhou, Sichuan Province, in 1980). The global box office takings of “Ne Zha” reportedly exceeds US$720 million – a great accomplishment for a Chinese animation film five years ago. I was only able to watch part of it on TVB on Friday night because I got home late after a conversational dinner at a Macanese restaurant with an old media colleague from Hong Kong who, by the way, has written extensively on Hong Kong movies. I will try to watch “Ne Zha” in full length as soon as I can find the time, preferably in a movie theatre as it offers a much better viewing experience than the small screen.
As an amateur cinephile not particularly fond of animated films (one of my favourite films is Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 “Vertigo”), I must say that I enjoyed watching “Ne Zha 2” from start to finish. Despite its exceptional length, I didn’t feel bored for a single minute.
I don’t want to be a spoiler so I won’t reveal the film’s storyline to all those reading this editorial who haven’t seen the movie yet.
Film critics have pointed out that the film is loosely based on Chinese mythology stories and the 16th-century Chinese novel “Investiture of the Gods” (“Fengshen Yanyi”) while also containing several creative differences.
The film’s main character, as its title shows, is Ne Zha* (哪吒; pronounced in Cantonese as “Na Tcha”), a deity in Chinese mythology and folk belief. His origins can be traced back to ancient Taoist and, I have been told, even Buddhist texts, and he has become one of the most popular and enduring figures in Chinese culture. Over centuries, he has been depicted as a divine warrior and protector. His legendary status was further popularised in the Ming Dynasty novel “The Investiture of the Gods”, one of the most influential works in Chinese literature.
Ne Zha’s story has been described by a raft of authors as a blend of heroism, tragedy, and redemption – the right stuff indeed for an exciting screen play!
For instance, according to legend, his birth was miraculous, as he emerged as a ball of flesh that transformed into a child who then passed through periods of defiance and rebellion (well, most of us have gone through this, haven’t we) and resurrection and redemption (I am still waiting…).
For about half a millennium, Ne Zha has obtained cultural significance, being admired, worshipped even, as a symbol of youth, bravery, sacrifice, resilience, the struggle between good and evil, and filial piety – the latter of which is an age-old important element of Chinese culture that in Western cultures appears to approach extinction. Ne Zha is often depicted as a young boy with a fiery temper, riding on wind fire wheels and wielding his signature weapons.
Traditional Chinese opera and theatre plays often feature Ne Zha as a heroic figure, and temples dedicated to him can be found in many parts of China, such as Fujian, Taiwan and, as one would expect, Macau.
I have visited Macau’s two “Na Tcha” temples as an agnostic journalist, sometimes showing them to media colleagues, since the 1980s, and I have written and edited quite a number of articles about them. The larger temple, which includes an exhibition hall, is situated close to the Ruins of St. Pauls – their proximity being another indication of Macau’s traditional religious tolerance. I am more familiar with the smaller one, located on a slope behind Ginza Plaza, as I lived for a few years in the neighbourhood.
By chance, I have recently discovered a little café near the Ruins of St. Pauls dedicated to the “Crown Prince”, “Marshal of the Central Altar” and “Third Lotus Prince” – as Ne Zha is also known. The café is located in a quaint townhouse, complete with a courtyard, that offers tasty titbits and “Na Tcha” memorabilia.
Based on the huge success of “Ne Zha 2”, the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) should jump on the bandwagon and start promoting, much more intensively than hitherto, Macau’s “Na Tcha” traditional connection.
I am quite sure that many tourists, not just foreigners but also those from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Chinese diaspora, would like to learn more about Macau’s mainstream Chinese culture. As a Xinhua article underlined last December, in the run-up to the 25th Anniversary of Macau’s return to the motherland: “With traditional Chinese culture at its heart, Macau’s culture is a diverse mixture assimilating Western, particularly Portuguese cultural influences.” The phrase is spot on. I always found it especially interesting that Macau does not just offer visitors a distinct “East-meets-West” atmosphere, but that it is also a profoundly Chinese city, perhaps one of the culturally most Chinese cities on Earth as far as its age-old traditions, customs, patriotism and culinary delights are concerned. That is, by the way, also one of the phenomena that sets Macau apart from Hong Kong.
As far as tourism promotion is concerned, I dislike the hackneyed slogan that describes Macau as “unique”. Well, anyone’s hometown is unique and so are, for example, Hong Kong and Macau. I prefer to describe our beloved city as a “distinct” place.
On an international level, as far as the growing importance of China’s soft power is concerned, I believe that one day, Ne Zha can globally play an iconic role similar to the United States’ Mickey Mouse – a cartoon character and mascot co-created by Walt Disney in 1928.
Potentially, the many legends, novels and stories about Ne Zha offer an abundance of conceptional material to create many more movies for cinema release, TV and streaming – animated or live action – in the years to come to promote Chinese culture worldwide.
Besides, Ne Zha as a legendary, mystical and even spiritual figure has much more historic depth than Mickey Mouse, an anthropomorphic mouse characterised as an empathetic but fumbling underdog.
Following WWII, Mickey Mouse films, comics and merchandise gradually became ubiquitous all over the world.
I hope that not-too-long in the future there will be Ne Zha theme parks on various continents – such as the now 12 Disneyland properties around the world. Our planet needs to diversify culturally as far as “soft power” is concerned. Globalisation must not remain synonymous with Americanisation. Different cultures, which represent diverse value systems, traditions and customs, need to learn from each other – but without mimicking unthinkingly or parroting without reflection the one perceived to be globally dominant.
DeepSeek lists the 1979 animation film “Nezha Conquers the Dragon King” and the 1981 live-action film “Prince Nezha’s Triumph Against Dragon King” as one of the first films about our hero.
I am looking forward to the release of “Ne Zha 3” directed once more by Jiaozi who, however, has indicated that this may only happen within a decade, but others may rise to the challenge so that more films about our hero could hit the big screen much earlier. The future movies featuring Ne Zha will, I hope, be dubbed in many different languages so that it will be easier for children to follow the storyline. After all, children are the future for global understanding!
China needs to further strengthen its soft power efforts, considering the rise of the Global South and the West’s ambiguous response to it.
Our mighty Ne Zha could certainly help.
– Harald Brüning
*This is the pinyin romanisation of the Chinese name, with a space between “Ne” and “Zha”, which is commonly used in academic or formal contexts to adhere to standard pinyin rules. The spelling “Nezha” in English and other languages is often used in popular culture, movies, and media.
