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E-mail Xinhua, February 23, 2025
Chinese animated film "Ne Zha 2" has been a hit with audiences in Fiji since its release on Thursday in the island nation.
The blockbuster has seen its box office revenue worldwide, including presales, surpass around 1.8 billion U.S. dollars. It has dethroned Disney's 2024 picture "Inside Out 2" to become the highest-grossing animated movie of all time globally.
"It was really awesome. So far it would be the best, I would say, it's on a par with the Hollywood blockbusters," said Anesh Chand, a Fijian doctor who watched the animation at Damodar Cinema in Suva, capital of Fiji, on Saturday night.
Chand told Xinhua that he once studied medicine in China for five years, so he was particularly aware of the Chinese herbs in the film, as well as traditional Chinese medicine philosophies, such as Yin and Yang, water and fire.
Cliff Prasad, group marketing manager of Damodar Cinemas, told Xinhua that "Ne Zha 2" performed very well at the box office in Fiji and the occupancy rates exceeded expectations.
The cinema had been supposed to schedule only two screenings on the premiere day, but due to hot online pre-sales, the cinema temporarily arranged three additional screenings, Prasad said.
The manager said the film was very popular, with a large part of the audience made up of local students.
"I really love the special effects, world-class! It was one of the best, I'd say, animations I've seen in a long time," said Fijian girl Katriena.
Fiji's Minister for Housing and Local Government Maciu Nalumisa also watched the Chinese animated film on Saturday.
"I came with my nephew and my son. They really like the movie," Nalumisa told Xinhua. "It's any of the best movies in terms of animation I've come across."
Mr. Sang, a Chinese audience who had watched "Ne Zha 2" four times, said the film is full of creativity in special effects and cultural expression.
"Every time you watch the movie, you will have a new feeling," he said. "The world is not black or white."
A sequel to the 2019 hit "Ne Zha 1," "Ne Zha 2" continued to build on the beloved Chinese mythology surrounding the character and has been celebrated as a milestone for Chinese animation.
Set after the events of the first film, it follows Nezha and Aobing as their souls are saved but their physical forms face dissolution. With the help of the immortal Taiyi Zhenren, who uses the Seven-Colored Lotus to reconstruct their bodies, the two heroes must face numerous challenges.
