TEHRAN – Tehran’s Book Garden Cineplex will screen the Chinese 3D animated film series “Ne Zha” over the weekend.
Cineplex will screen “Ne Zha” (2019) on Thursday and “Ne Zha 2” (2025) on Friday. According to Ilnar news agency, a review session will be held after the film screening.
The fantasy comedy-adventure animation “Ne Zha” is directed and written by Jiaozi. The animation was produced by the director’s own studio Chengdu Coco Manga. The plot, which features the popular Chinese mythological character Nai Wu, is loosely based on the 16th century novel The Rites of the Gods by Xu Zhonglin.
In the film, a boy named Ne Zha is the reincarnation of a demon orb separated from the Chaos Pearl by the Primordial Lord Yuanxi Tianzun. Born with the destructive power of a demonic sphere, he finds himself an outcast hated and feared by the townspeople of Chengtang Pass. Destined by a prophecy that will bring ruin to the world, a young man must choose between good and evil in order to break the bonds of fate and become a hero.
Despite being the director and animation studio’s debut film and not featuring widely known actors in the voice acting, the film received critical acclaim, becoming the biggest commercial success in Chinese cinema, and the highest-grossing anime in China. It set numerous box office records, including being the highest-grossing animated film in China in 2019, the highest-grossing animated film in the world outside the United States, and the second-highest-grossing non-English-speaking film in the world. The best ever at the time of release. It grossed over $742 million, making it the fourth highest-grossing animated film of the year and the fifth-highest grossing film of all time in China.
“Ne Zha 2” is a direct sequel to “Ne Zha”. The film features the story of Ne Zia and his friend Ao Bing. After the sacrifice, only Ne Zha’s body is recreated, but Ao Bing’s soul resides within him. Ne Zha summons this spirit in his fight against the evil Master Shen.
Like its predecessor, the film received critical acclaim and was an even bigger commercial success, grossing $2.2 billion worldwide against a production cost of $80 million.
“Ne Zha 2” set numerous box office records in China and abroad, including the highest-grossing film in a single box office territory, the highest-grossing animated film, the highest-grossing adult animated film, the highest-grossing non-English film, and the first animated film to cross $2 billion. It also ranks as the highest-grossing film of 2025 and the fifth-highest-grossing film of all time.
SS/SAB