If you had to guess who made the highest grossing animated film of all time, you would probably say Disney and Pixar (basically Disney since its owned the latter since 2006). And until a few days ago you would have been right.
The top three highest grossing animations until this month were Inside Out 2 (2024), The Lion King (2019) and Frozen 2 (2019). But they've just been overtaken by the sequel to a film that will have completely passed by many film goers in the west. Chengdu Coco Cartoon's Ne Zha 2 has grossed around $1.7bn and counting since its release on 29 January (see our pick of the best animation software if you're up for the challenge).
Ne zha 2? you ask. What happened to the original? Well, 2019's Ne zha didn't do too badly at all, actually. It grossed $726 million, making it the 31st biggest selling animated film in history. But according to data from ticketing platform Maoyan, Ne Zha 2 has already outstripped that massively thanks to sales over the Lunar New Year holiday.
The films are based on a 16th century Chinese novel, The Investiture of the Gods, and tell the story of a boy hero with magic power who must to a fortress town. Both movies were directed by Yang Yu, also known as 'Jiaozi'.
哪吒2掀起爱国狂潮，工厂停工集体观看哪吒2，助力登顶世界第一。 pic.twitter.com/zoDbxP27OkFebruary 18, 2025
The movie has sparked something of a patriotic frenzy in China, with reports of factories shutting down so workers could go to see it. On social media, some are hailing Ne Zha 2 as a milestone moment marking the end to Hollywood's hegemony over super hero movies.
Psychologically, there may be something in that. But the numbers should be put into some context. More than 99 per cent of Nezha 2's box office takings come from mainland China alone, which contrasts starkly with the global income of Hollywood blockbusters. So far, Ne Zha 2 has not achieved the same level of export success that Disney/Pixar has for Hollywood.
Nevertheless, the movie could still be remembered as a turning point. It was released in North America on 14 February, and has already taken over $8 million. The fact that it's now set an international record, and the resulting media attention that generates, is enough to ensure that it will get a lot more viewers outside of China than it would have.
If you're looking to upgrade setup for your own animation work, see our pick of the best laptops for animation. And for inspiration, we have a pick of the best anime films.
