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Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
China Box Office: ‘Ne Zha 2' Stays on Top as Jason Statham's ‘A Working Man' Opens Quietly
China's box office wrapped up March with a relatively quiet weekend, led once again by Cococartoon's animated juggernaut 'Ne Zha 2,' which grossed RMB62.2 million ($8.6 million) for the March 28–30 period. The film's cumulative gross now stands at $2.09 billion, according to Artisan Gateway, extending its lead as the highest-grossing release of the year. Jason Statham-starring action thriller 'A Working Man,' released by Black Bear, debuted in second place with a modest $3.3 million. Despite the soft launch, the film marked the weekend's strongest new release. More from Variety 'Ne Zha 2' Propels 2025 Global Box Office Estimates Upward to $34 Billion 'A Working Man' Star Arianna Rivas on Fighting Side-By-Side With Jason Statham: 'I Felt Unleashed' Box Office: 'A Working Man' Hammers in $5.6 Million Opening Day in Race Against 'Snow White' for No. 1 Hanna Pictures' 'The River of Fury' dropped to third place, earning $2.1 million. The film's cumulative stands at $5.4 million after two weeks in release. Directed by Feng Yongqin, the film is a crime thriller where the mysterious disappearance of a woman is related to a series of murders. As One Production's 'Detective Chinatown 1900' continues to hold steady in fourth place with $1.8 million, pushing its total to $494.7 million. The enduring popularity of the franchise has kept the film in the top five for nine consecutive weeks. Rounding out the top five was Lian Ray Pictures' 'New Life,' which earned $0.7 million in its second weekend, bringing its total to $3.2 million. Directed by Dong Hongjie, the drama follows a lonely worker who befriends a stray dog. Total weekend box office revenue reached $20.8 million, bringing China's 2025 year-to-date total to $3.39 billion — representing a 50.4% increase compared to the same period in 2024. While no breakout new release emerged this weekend, the market remains strong thanks to the staying power of domestic hits like 'Ne Zha 2,' albeit now a far cry from the record-breaking heights of the Lunar New Year holiday period. Best of Variety What's Coming to Disney+ in April 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week The Best Celebrity Memoirs to Read This Year: From Chelsea Handler to Anthony Hopkins
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
China Box Office: ‘Ne Zha 2' Stays on Top as Jason Statham's ‘A Working Man' Opens Quietly
China's box office wrapped up March with a relatively quiet weekend, led once again by Cococartoon's animated juggernaut 'Ne Zha 2,' which grossed RMB62.2 million ($8.6 million) for the March 28–30 period. The film's cumulative gross now stands at $2.09 billion, according to Artisan Gateway, extending its lead as the highest-grossing release of the year. Jason Statham-starring action thriller 'A Working Man,' released by Black Bear, debuted in second place with a modest $3.3 million. Despite the soft launch, the film marked the weekend's strongest new release. More from Variety 'Ne Zha 2' Propels 2025 Global Box Office Estimates Upward to $34 Billion 'A Working Man' Star Arianna Rivas on Fighting Side-By-Side With Jason Statham: 'I Felt Unleashed' Box Office: 'A Working Man' Hammers in $5.6 Million Opening Day in Race Against 'Snow White' for No. 1 Hanna Pictures' 'The River of Fury' dropped to third place, earning $2.1 million. The film's cumulative stands at $5.4 million after two weeks in release. Directed by Feng Yongqin, the film is a crime thriller where the mysterious disappearance of a woman is related to a series of murders. As One Production's 'Detective Chinatown 1900' continues to hold steady in fourth place with $1.8 million, pushing its total to $494.7 million. The enduring popularity of the franchise has kept the film in the top five for nine consecutive weeks. Rounding out the top five was Lian Ray Pictures' 'New Life,' which earned $0.7 million in its second weekend, bringing its total to $3.2 million. Directed by Dong Hongjie, the drama follows a lonely worker who befriends a stray dog. Total weekend box office revenue reached $20.8 million, bringing China's 2025 year-to-date total to $3.39 billion — representing a 50.4% increase compared to the same period in 2024. While no breakout new release emerged this weekend, the market remains strong thanks to the staying power of domestic hits like 'Ne Zha 2,' albeit now a far cry from the record-breaking heights of the Lunar New Year holiday period. Best of Variety What's Coming to Disney+ in April 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week The Best Celebrity Memoirs to Read This Year: From Chelsea Handler to Anthony Hopkins
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
China Box Office: ‘Ne Zha 2' Leads Again, as New Releases Make Modest Debuts
China's box office for the weekend of March 21–23 saw 'Ne Zha 2' maintaining its dominant position, while new releases made modest debuts. 'Ne Zha 2' earned RMB85.7 million ($11.9 million) over the weekend, bringing its cumulative total to $2.081 billion, according to Artisan Gateway. In its eighth week, the animated blockbuster continues to captivate audiences. In Imax, 'Ne Zha 2' added $1.8 million globally, a 41% drop from the previous weekend, increasing its global cume in the format to $158.2 million, with $154 million from China alone. More from Variety Asia's Animation Revolution Drives Upbeat Outlook China's Overdue Animation Explosion Ignited by the Local and Global Success of 'Ne Zha 2' Chinese Animation Powers Imax Growth as 'Ne Zha 2' Redefines Box Office Potential Hanna Pictures' 'The River of Fury' debuted in second place with $2 million. Directed by Feng Yongqin, the film is a crime thriller where the mysterious disappearance of a woman is related to a series of murders. 'Detective Chinatown 1900', from As One Production, continued its strong performance, securing third place with $1.9 million. The film's cumulative gross now stands at $492.1 million. Lian Ray Pictures' 'New Life' opened in fourth place, earning $1.7 million. Directed by Dong Hongjie, the drama follows a lonely worker who befriends a stray dog. Rounding out the top five, Cinema City (HK)'s re-release of the restored version of the Tsui Hark-produced supernatural romance, 1987 classic 'A Chinese Ghost Story,' earned $1.4 million. The weekend's total box office reached $24.5 million, a decrease from the previous weekend's $36.1 million. Nevertheless, China's 2025 gross-to-date stands at $3.36 billion, a 53.7% increase over the same period in 2024, highlighting the market's resilience despite a quieter release slate post the bumper Lunar New Year period. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Oscars 2026: First Blind Predictions Including Timothée Chalamet, Emma Stone, 'Wicked: For Good' and More What's Coming to Disney+ in March 2025
The Independent
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Chinese animated film Ne Zha 2 breaks box office records
Animated film Ne Zha 2 broke several records, including one held previously by Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, as it continued its domination in the Chinese box office over the lunar new year holidays. Ne Zha 2 is a sequel to the 2019 fantasy adventure Ne Zha, which follows a young boy born with unique powers who teams up with dragon prince Ao Bing to fight demons and save the very community that fears him. The film series, written and directed by Jiaozi, is loosely based on a 16th-century novel, Investiture of the Gods, attributed to Xu Zhonglin. Ne Zha 2 was released in cinemas for the Chinese lunar new year on 29 January. Most businesses and government offices close for an eight-day public holiday for the new year to enable people to travel home. The extended break likely contributed to the success of the film, which not only features a beloved Chinese mythological character but appeals to audiences of all ages. Ne Zha 2 has now outstripped major Hollywood films to become not only the highest-grossing film ever in a single market worldwide, but also the first film ever to cross $1bn (£805.5m) in a single market. In the first week of its release alone, Ne Zha 2 made ¥4.84bn (£534m) in China, setting the record for the most money made by a single film in the new year period, which runs from 28 January to 12 February. Holding strong at the box office for the second consecutive week, Ne Zha 2 has managed to bring in a cumulative total of $1.11bn (£886m), according to Artisan Gateway. Earlier projections, which had put Ne Zha 2 firmly in place to beat 2015's Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens as the highest-grossing film in a single market, were proved true this past weekend. The space opera film made $936.7m (£754m) in North America. Ne Zha 2 has already surpassed Ne Zha in total earnings and has also become the highest-grossing film ever not in the English language, beating 2021's The Battle at Lake Changjin, which had earned $913m. It overtook The Battle at Lake Changjin as China's biggest film ever within the first week of its release. The numbers bode well for the Chinese film industry, even taking into account the fact that the lunar new year is generally one of its most lucrative periods. In 2024, total box office collections dropped 22.6 per cent from the previous year as a sluggish economy reportedly prompted moviegoers to stay home.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
China Box Office: ‘Ne Zha 2' Leads Massive Lunar New Year Surge to $1.2 Billion as Imax Breaks Records
The Chinese box office experienced a massive boost over the Lunar New Year holiday, with five major releases propelling weekend earnings to $536.9 million, according to Artisan Gateway. The five-day holiday frame delivered a cumulative total of $1.24 billion for 2025, marking a 234.1% increase from the same period last year, driven by strong debuts and record-setting performances in Imax. More from Variety China Box Office: 'Octopus With Broken Arms' Continues Reign as Dull Market Looks for Lunar New Year Boost China Box Office: 'Octopus With Broken Arms' Retains Top Spot, 'Sonic the Hedgehog 3' Stays in Fifth Place as Business Remains Dull 'Little Prince' Chinese Adaptation in the Works From Stars Collective, Shanghai's El Pajaro (EXCLUSIVE) Enlight Pictures' 'Ne Zha 2' led the charge, opening to RMB2.16 billion ($300 million) in its two-day debut. The sequel to the 2019 animated hit follows the mythological hero in a new fantasy adventure, continuing the franchise's dominance at the Chinese box office. Its cumulative gross has already reached $434.2 million, making it the undisputed leader of the holiday period. The film also led the Imax box office, generating $22.1 million, making it the fastest Imax release to surpass RMB100 million in China and the 13th highest-grossing local-language film in Imax history. The five-day opening for 'Ne Zha 2' sees it sail past the previous record holder 'Moana 2,' which had opened with $386.3 million last year. With two days still to go for the Lunar New Year holidays, if 'Ne Zha 2' maintains its trajectory, it is on track to become the highest-grossing Chinese film of all time, overtaking the $913 million gross of 'The Battle at Lake Changjin.' Barring a dramatic slowdown, 'Ne Zha 2' also seems set to cross the 'Inside Out 2' $653 million record of the highest animated grosser in a single market. In second place, As One Production's 'Detective Chinatown 1900' debuted with $133.9 million, adding another successful entry to the popular crime-comedy franchise. The fourth installment in the series is set in the early 20th century and follows a detective solving a high-stakes case in Shanghai. The film also performed well in Imax, bringing in $2.6 million from premium large-format screenings. It has reached a cumulative total of $253.1 million. Beijing Culture's 'Creation of the Gods 2,' the sequel to the 2023 successful fantasy epic, secured third place with a $41.2 million weekend. Imax contributed $7.3 million to the film's total, further emphasizing its appeal in visually immersive formats. The film's cumulative total stands at $124.3 million. Fantawild Animation's 'Boonie Bears: Future Reborn' ranked fourth with $26.8 million. The long-running animated franchise remains a Lunar New Year staple, consistently attracting family audiences. The film has now reached $57.9 million in total earnings. Rounding out the top five, China Film's 'Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants' debuted with $21.3 million. Tsui Hark's martial arts epic, based on the classic Jin Yong novel, also saw strong support from Imax screenings, earning $3.5 million. The film's cumulative total stands at $75.4 million. The Lunar New Year period also delivered a record-breaking performance for Imax, with a historic $43 million weekend. Five Lunar New Year titles in Imax contributed $38.1 million through Sunday, surpassing 2023's $34 million record with two days left in the holiday period. 'Blockbusters are back in China, in a bigger way than even the most optimistic among us could've imagined,' said Rich Gelfond, CEO of Imax. 'These early, historic Chinese New Year results indicate that softness in the Chinese box office last year was a result of supply, not demand — and that the tentpole-heavy local language slate ahead for 2025 is very well positioned for success.' With the holiday period continuing through Feb. 5, China's theatrical market is expected to sustain strong momentum, reinforcing hopes of the box office's full recovery from the downturns of 2024. Best of Variety Grammy Predictions, From Beyoncé to Kendrick Lamar: Who Will Win? Who Should Win? New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Netflix in February 2025
