Disney and Pixar’s 2024 animated sequel Inside Out 2 was one of the most beloved movies of last year. Following the success of the first Inside Out, it is unsurprising that Inside Out 2 was a commercial and critical success. However, it far surpassed anyone’s expectations, as Inside Out 2 became the highest-grossing animated film of all time. The movie picks Riley’s story back up after she has aged a few years and is dealing with new problems. Inside Out 2 introduces new emotions for audiences to enjoy, and they work perfectly to reflect Riley’s growing maturity.
Inside Out 2 was released at the perfect time to become a summer blockbuster and appeals to kids and adults alike. Overall, it is a wholesome, fun movie that has a great emotional message about growing up. While Disney has experienced consistent success with its animated films, Inside Out 2 topped the yearly box office, making it the first animated film to do so since Frozen in 2013. Given this impressive accomplishment, it is completely unexpected that Inside Out 2’s records would have been toppled so soon, but just seven months later, there is a new highest-grossing animated film.
Ne Zha 2 Officially Beat Inside Out 2’s Box Office Total In Only 20 Days
The New Animated Sequel Has Been A Massive Hit
The sequel to the 2019 animated movie Ne Zha, Ne Zha 2 has officially beaten Inside Out 2’s box office record in just under three weeks. Ne Zha 2 picks up where Ne Zha left off, with the characters Ne Zha and Ao Bing’s physical bodies having been destroyed by the lightning sent to destroy the Demon Orb. However, with help from Taiyi Zhenren, the two are saved and have to work together again to save their town and themselves from the evil forces plotting against them.
The movie’s exciting plot and great animation have already amassed plenty of praise, and it currently sits at a gross of $1.7 billion (via The Numbers). This total puts it slightly above Inside Out 2, which has grossed just under $1.7 billion. While the movie’s precursor, Ne Zha, was moderately successful, Ne Zha 2 has far exceeded any expectations about its performance. Additionally, given that the film has only been out for 20 days, it has the potential to continue growing as its reputation spreads further beyond China.
Ne Zha 2’s Box Office Is Completely Different From Inside Out 2
Ne Zha 2 Has Been Extremely Successful In China
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One of the biggest differences between Ne Zha 2 and Inside Out 2 is where the majority of the films’ audiences are. Inside Out 2 was successful worldwide, with a solid percentage of its profits coming from the United States. Its precursor was incredibly well-known and loved across different markets, and Inside Out’s availability on streaming means that new audiences were able to watch the first movie before the release of Inside Out 2. It makes complete sense that Inside Out 2 surpassed the first movie and did well everywhere.
In contrast, according to Reuters, 99% of Ne Zha 2’s profits are from China. While the movie has opened in theaters in the United States, Ne Zha 2 was primarily created for Chinese audiences. This approach also makes sense since the story, which is based on the Chinese book Investiture of the Gods, is likely to have more appeal with Chinese audiences who may be more familiar with the plot, characters, and the first film.
Why Ne Zha 2 Was Such A Bigger Hit At The Chinese Box Office Than Inside Out 2
Ne Zha 2 Was Made For Chinese Audiences
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Ne Zha 2’s success at the Chinese box office is particularly impressive when considering that Inside Out 2 made $47 million total in China. This total is only a fraction of Ne Zha 2’s box office earnings, proving that Inside Out 2 simply did not mand as well in the Chinese market. While there is nothing wrong with Inside Out 2’s gross in China per se, it was very clearly made with an American audience in mind. Likewise, Ne Zha 2 was made with a Chinese audience in mind, leading to it being far more successful there.
Ne Zha 2 is based on an important Chinese novel and continues a franchise that audiences care about, whereas Inside Out 2 may not have that same significance.
In essence, the movies were meant to be different and appeal to different audiences, and that has resulted in massive box office success for Ne Zha 2. Ne Zha 2 is based on an important Chinese novel and continues a franchise that audiences care about, whereas Inside Out 2 may not have that same significance. What’s more, Ne Zha 2’s release at the end of January coincided with the Lunar New Year, marking an important cultural date more generally.
Ne Zha 2 Beating Inside Out 2’s Box Office Shows The Limits Of Hollywood Movies In China
Hollywood Has Not Been Able To Tap Into The Chinese Market Very Well
While some Hollywood movies can do quite well in China, on the whole, Hollywood has not succeeded in the Chinese market as well as producers might hope. Given that China has a population of over 1.4 billion (compared to the US’s 334.9 million), there is a massive opportunity for success in the film industry if a movie finds the right audience there. This also helps explain why movies made specifically for Chinese people, like Ne Zha 2, do so well at the box office overall. However, this is not often the case for American movies.
With the absence of strong marketing pushes for American movies in China, Chinese-made movies like Ne Zha 2 have been able to thrive on their own.
Hollywood did spend several years, in the 2010s particularly, trying to tap into China’s growing movie industry, but they never found the level of success that they were aiming for. Instead, the results dwindled, and many American studios have largely given up on China being a lucrative market for Hollywood movies. With the absence of strong marketing pushes for American movies in China, Chinese-made movies like Ne Zha 2 have been able to thrive on their own. However, given Ne Zha 2’s profits, it will be interesting to see how Hollywood studios react to the box office reports.
What Will Ne Zha 2’s Final Box Office Total Be Now?
Its Success Has Just Begun
After just three weeks, Ne Zha 2 has already become the highest-grossing animated film of all time and certainly the highest-grossing movie of 2025 so far. Since the movie has only just expanded into the U.S. and other international markets, there is certainly plenty of time for Ne Zha 2 to become even more lucrative. While its current gross of $1.7 billion is already incredibly impressive, it seems likely that, given more time, Ne Zha 2 will be able to surpass $2 billion easily.
With its current earnings, Ne Zha 2 is currently positioned as the eighth highest-grossing movie of all time. Having surpassed Inside Out 2, its other top 10 compatriots hail from the successful franchises of the MCU, Avatar, Jurassic World, and Star Wars, with the exception of Titanic. If Ne Zha 2 were to reach the $2 billion mark, it could even move up further on the list and even enter the top five if it went over $2.1 billion. While Inside Out 2 is undeniably great, it is very clear that there is now a new animated movie dominating the charts.
Source: The Numbers, Reuters