Ne Zha 2 set to resonate with Hollywood

Over the weekend, the Hollywood premiere of Ne Zha 2 — a milestone film that has become the sole Asian film listed in the world's top 30 highest-grossing films of all time — transformed the TCL Chinese Theatre into a vibrant celebration of Chinese culture.

Featuring a dragon dance, martial arts performances and a showcase of Chinese intangible cultural heritage, the event on Saturday drew an international audience to the iconic location on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Soaring as a runaway hit domestically, Ne Zha 2, which shattered a string of records such as becoming the highest-grossing film of all time in a single country - is scheduled to foray into the Oceania and North American markets.

As of Monday, it has grossed over 8.3 billion yuan ($1.14 billion) at the combined box office, including presale in China, surpassing the $935 million earned by Star Wars: The Force Awakens in the United States, the previous single-market record holder.

As the long-awaited sequel to the first Ne Zha film, which was deemed as a black horse in 2019 to speed up the rise of Chinese animation industry, Ne Zha 2 is scheduled to be released in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea on Feb 13, one day ahead of its release in the US and Canada, according to the Beijing-based company CMC Pictures, the film's regional overseas distributor.

Georges Chamchoum, executive director of the Asian World Film Festival, expressed deep appreciation for the cultural evolution of Chinese cinema, noting that the industry has shifted from old-fashioned productions to a more diverse and open expression of the country's culture.

"I think China has been doing forever good movies. It's good to see that China is more open to show other kinds of movies, because a movie is the reflection of a country," Chamchoum told China Daily.

The film, loosely inspired by Chinese mythology and the classic novel Fengshen Yanyi (Investiture of the Gods), picks up where the first film left off.

In the previous installment, the titular character and his friend Ao Bing, both born from supernatural powers, witnessed their bodies perishing in a catastrophe while their souls lingered. After recreating their mortal bodies using lotus roots through magic, the duo joins forces once again to thwart a larger and more astonishing scheme that threatens the lives of their families and the existence of the Dragon Tribe.

Gathering over 4,000 animators from a total of 138 companies, the 144-minute film spent five years in production. Yang Yu, the director better known as Jiaozi, revealed in an earlier interview that they pushed every step to the extreme. "The production procedure was once estimated to be three to four years, but ultimately we would rather postpone the schedule than meet the deadline in a compromising way," said Jiaozi in a report by China Movie Channel.

A self-made artist who began learning animation while studying medicine at college, Yang, who previously relied on his mother's humble salary to stay home unemployed for three years to pursue his love of animation, said Ne Zha has some of himself in it, as the role depicted is rebellious while not surrendering to worldly prejudices.

Gong Bohan, manager of the International Distribution Department at CMC Pictures, said Ne Zha 2 was also the first film to be released simultaneously at the TCL Chinese Theatre during the Chinese New Year celebrations. "We combined the film's red-carpet premiere with a showcase of China's intangible cultural heritage, allowing tourists from all over the world on the Walk of Fame to immerse themselves in Chinese culture," Gong said.

The North American market's pre-sales are promising, according to Gong. "The film, which has already broken Chinese box office records and is approaching 10 billion yuan, is on track to rank among the top 20 highest-grossing films worldwide," Gong added.

Robert King, a Hollywood film producer, praised the film's success in China and its cultural significance. He suggested that Ne Zha 2 could be a contender in multiple categories, including foreign film and animation. "This little rascal Ne Zha would resonate with Hollywood," said King, adding that Ne Zha 2 is "an extraordinary experience for China".

Meanwhile, King emphasized the cultural significance of the film, noting that it aligns with the TCL Chinese Theatre's efforts to foster cultural exchange. "This film represents box office success in China, but I see it holding even greater cultural value in the message the premiere aims to deliver to Hollywood," King said.

Shawn Barrett, vice-president of XR Immersive Design at TCL Chinese Theatres, also lauded the film's animation, calling it "fantastic", and saying "it was a really top-quality film".

Barrett suggested that for broader American appeal, the film should be dubbed in English. "It has to be dubbed in English, then the American public would come," he added.

Barrett also recognized the significance of the TCL Chinese Theatre, formerly called Grauman's Chinese Theatre, a historic site known for starting the red-carpet tradition. He suggested that a Chinese cultural center could be established there to promote further cultural exchange.

Praising the movie as "unbelievable", Oscar-winning producer Andre Morgan, who produced Million Dollar Baby, also weighed in on the film's US marketing potential. "If this movie is marketed in the US much more quickly, its impact will be even greater," said Morgan.

He recommended creating short YouTube videos highlighting Chinese cultural elements in the film, which could help American audiences better understand and appreciate the movie.

In recent years, China's rapid economic growth and technological competition with the West have coincided with a resurgence in national pride and a revival of traditional culture. That has led to the retelling of ancient stories using modern digital technology, calling for high-tech collaboration in the film industry.

Li Zhiqiang, Chinese deputy consul general in Los Angeles, who attended the premiere, highlighted the increasing cooperation between the Chinese and American film industries.

"In recent years, China and US film cooperation has continued to deepen, producing many successful examples that not only allow both peoples to share rich cultural achievements but also inject new momentum into mutually beneficial collaboration," Li said, adding that more American audiences would understand China through films like Ne Zha 2 and strengthen mutual friendship between the two nations.