The Chinese animated movie Ne Zha 2, which serves as a sequel to 2019’s Ne Zha, is now the highest-grossing animated movie of all time. As of Wednesday, February 18, it has made 12.3 billion yuan ($1.69 billion), surpassing the total box office of the previous record holder, Inside Out 2 (2024).
Ne Zha 2 is the highest grossing animated movie after beating Inside 2
Ne Zha 2 has become the highest-grossing animated movie in history, per data from Maoyan, a ticketing platform (via NBC). The feature, helmed by Yang Yu, alternatively known as Jiaozi, debuted in China on January 29, 2025, and has since accumulated $1.69 billion at the box office.
This number includes pre-sales and overseas earnings, though the majority of the movie’s box office return comes from China’s domestic market. This is unlike Inside Out 2 and other entries in the list of highest-grossing animated movies. Most of them are Hollywood productions and the box-office numbers they generate are a combination of the US and international returns.
Ne Zha 2 and Ne Zha are adaptations of the 16th-century Chinese novel The Investiture of the Gods. The plot of the sequel revolves around the eponymous Na Zha, a young boy whose soul is saved along with that of Ao Bing after the events of the first movie. However, their bodies are destroyed, and the remedy for that is the mysterious seven-colored lotus.
Among the highest-grossing movies in general, Ne Zha 2 currently occupies the eighth place. However, given the current trend, it will likely move up the list and reach the two billion threshold. At the Chinese box office, it has already surpassed Avengers: Endgame to become the highest-grossing IMAX release of all time (via Variety).
The voice cast of Ne Zha 2 includes Lü Yanting as the child Nezha, Joseph Cao as the teenage Nezha, Han Mo as Ao Bing and more.
