A man walks past a screen showing a poster of the Chinese animated film Ne Zha 2 before a preview screening at the BFI IMAX theater in London, Britain, on March 14, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ying)
London: The Chinese animated blockbuster Ne Zha 2 made its much-anticipated European debut on Friday, with audiences in the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland attending the first preview screenings ahead of the film's wide release.
At the inaugural screening at London's packed BFI IMAX theater, the audience erupted into applause.
"I was thoroughly impressed," said Cheryl Finnigan from Manchester watching the film. "I didn't know what to expect, but by the end, my heart was in my throat."
Watching a Chinese animated film for the first time, Finnigan said she was captivated by its visuals, soundtrack, characters, and especially the film's emotional depth. She praised everything about the film from the grandeur of the Loong Palace to the subtle facial expressions of the characters.
Rooted in 16th-century Chinese mythology with a bold reinterpretation, Ne Zha 2 was crafted over five years by a team of 4,000 animators and has since become the world's highest-grossing animated film.
Although unfamiliar with the original Ne Zha film and its mythology, Finnigan said she found the story easy to follow and would now seek out the first movie on Ne Zha before rewatching Ne Zha 2.
Trinity CineAsia holds the theatrical distribution rights for Ne Zha 2 across 37 territories, including the UK, Ireland, Germany, France, and Spain.
According to the company, the film is set for an official release on March 21, featuring English subtitles in more than 250 cinemas across 100 cities in the UK and Ireland. Other European releases will follow shortly after.
Cedric Behrel, Managing Director of Trinity CineAsia, described Ne Zha 2 as both modern and deeply rooted in ancient Chinese culture. He called the film's
UK and European release "unprecedented in scope" and expressed confidence that it would be "the biggest release of a Chinese film in the UK ever."
In addition to local viewers, Chinese students studying in the UK were among the most eager and excited to see the film's European debut.
The animated epic, which premiered in China over a month ago, has generated immense buzz domestically, becoming the first non-Hollywood production to break into the global all-time top 10 box office chart. It has also reached the milestone of grossing 1 billion U.S. dollars in a single market, China.
"It was even more impressive than I expected," said a Chinese cosplayer, nicknamed Mingxi, who dressed as Ne Zha for the entire night when watching the film. "I could feel a significant improvement in both the technical quality and storytelling compared to the first film." The first Ne Zha movie gained widespread attention upon its release in China in 2019.
According to data from ticketing platform Maoyan, Ne Zha 2 has become the first non-Hollywood film to surpass 2 billion U.S. dollars in global earnings, including pre-sales. More than 20 million U.S. dollars have been generated from international markets.
