Ne Zha 2 continues to captivate global audiences

China's animated blockbuster Ne Zha 2 continues to make waves at the international box office, with its massive earnings in Australia and New Zealand further boosting its success in Oceania.

The fantasy adventure film rose to second place in New Zealand's weekend total box office list by Sunday, according to the country's industry tracker Numero.

In Australia, the film took third spot with at least A$1,504,128 ($948,879) in takings from the weekend.

James Curtis, an undergraduate student in Sydney who had watched the film, said he was impressed by its storyline and animation.

"I can understand why local and foreign moviegoers crowded the cinema for this," said the 20-year-old. "I do want to know more about these aspects of Chinese culture. It definitely helps build better understanding across our peoples."

Ne Zha 2, the sequel to the 2019 animation based on the eponymous childlike Chinese folk deity, recorded its second straight weekend as the third-highest-grossing feature in Australian cinemas, reaping more than A$5.2 million in the country, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

Its first weekend per-screen average of A$25,000 is "the best of any film this year", putting Ne Zha 2 on track to surpass the $1.9 billion mark globally in its second week, the newspaper said.

The University of Adelaide communication and media studies researcher Hong Yanyan told China Daily that the film "breathes fresh life into traditional Chinese mythology and philosophy in a way that feels both modern and rooted" in Chinese culture.

"What made the film truly take off was simple: it delivered a solid, entertaining story with even more advanced and breathtaking visuals than Ne Zha, the first film in the series.

"The box office success of Ne Zha 2 shows that audiences, both Chinese and non-Chinese, are open to stories that reflect different cultural perspectives," Hong said.

"It's not just about nostalgia or national pride; it's about storytelling that feels universal while staying true to its roots."

She added that social media and streaming services have also played a significant role in increasing the film's impact.

"Word-of-mouth spreads fast, and when a film like Ne Zha 2 gains traction, it doesn't just stay within Chinese-speaking communities, it reaches global audiences through fan discussions, reviews and digital platforms," Hong said.

"This is an exciting time for Chinese animation and storytelling in general. As long as filmmakers continue to innovate while staying authentic to their cultural heritage, I think we'll see more and more Chinese stories making an impact worldwide," she added.

Ne Zha 2 was officially released in four Oceania countries, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Papua New Guinea, on Feb 13.

The Chinese embassy in Fiji held an event for audiences to view the film on Feb 22, amid celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Fiji.

Nearly 400 people, including local and Chinese officials, politicians, diplomats, overseas Chinese and Fijian citizens attended the event, according to an embassy statement.

Audiences "lauded the film for its captivating traditional Chinese aesthetics, profound cultural connotations … the world-class special effects were also highly commended", it said.

China's ambassador to Fiji, Zhou Jian, said in a speech that Ne Zha 2 brings "a visual feast of Chinese traditional culture to the world".

"As this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Fiji, we hope that the two countries will carry forward Ne Zha's spirit of bravery and hard work to create a bright future for China-Fiji relationship," he added.

A diplomat from the embassy in Fiji told China Daily that impressed audiences remained glued to the screen for the post-credit scene of the film.

The embassy is also set to host a Chinese film week later this year as part of the anniversary celebrations.

Zhi Feina, a professor at the Chinese National Academy of Arts, said that Ne Zha 2, which has been released overseas in subtitled versions, has not reached many foreign moviegoers who are more accustomed to watching films with English dubs.

Compared to director Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and director Zhang Yimou's Hero, the top-grossing Chinese films in North America, Ne Zha 2's cultural backdrop, involving knowledge of Taoism, may pose a challenge in engaging more foreign moviegoers.

Lynn Wu, a 43-year-old Chinese immigrant in Brisbane, recalled that she accompanied her two children to watch Ne Zha 2 in the opening week but found that it had limited screenings in nearby cinemas.

"We hope such an excellent Chinese film could have more promotions so that more locals could know about the movie," she said.

Contact the writers at xinxin@chinadaily.com.cn