China’s animated mega-blockbuster Ne Zha 2 is heading to Europe. Distributor Trinity CineAsia has acquired theatrical rights to the film from Beijing Enlight Media for 37 territories across the continent, including the U.K., Germany, France, Spain and more. The film will open in the U.K. and Ireland on March 21, with previews beginning March 14. Other European releases will soon follow, the distributor says.
Ne Zha 2 is already the highest-grossing animated film in movie history. Since its release over Chinese New Year in January, it has earned $2.06 billion at home in China (Pixar’s Inside Out 2 is history’s second-biggest animated film, with $1.7 billion in worldwide ticket revenue). In North America, Ne Zha 2 opened Feb 14 and has earned $18.8 million — tiny compared to the China total, but far better than most Chinese commercial blockbusters fare in the West.
Ne Zha 2 is an imaginative twist on Chinese mythology and a famous 16th-century novel. The film is a sequel to what was previously China’s top-earning animated film. In the original Ne Zha (2019), the namesake hero is born an underdog, the reincarnation of a demon who must overcome his fate to save his village. The sequel strikes a similar tone and traces a familiar trajectory, as Ne Zha faces new trials as he challenges the corrupt gods and demons who oversee the heavens. Both films were directed by Yang Yu, who goes by the name Jiaozi, and Beijing Enlight spared no expense on the sequel, reportedly enlisting as many as 4,000 animators to work on the project.
“Rarely do you get a film that truly defines the era, shows again the unique power of cinema to move audiences, and makes an indelible mark on culture — this is Ne Zha 2,” says Cedric Behrel, managing director of Trinity CineAsia.
The pan-Europe release of Ne Zha 2 is a step up in ambition for Trinity CineAsia, which recently released the Hong Kong action hit Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In in portions of the continent. Last year, the company also put out the high-brow Chinese feature Black Dog, which won the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard honor.
“After years spent cultivating the audience and building relationships with exhibitors, press and other stakeholders, as well as our online presence, [Ne Zha 2] is a landmark for Trinity CineAsia in terms of reaching the far corners of the continent and developing our offering to a far larger audience,” Behrel adds.
Source: Hollywoodreporter
