SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
For the past decade, the highest-grossing movie in a single market ever was a long-awaited sequel from a galaxy far, far away.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS")
ANDY SERKIS: (As Supreme Leader Snoke) There has been an awakening. Have you felt it?
DETROW: That is "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," which earned more than $936 million in the U.S. But this month, moviegoers in China awakened as a force and blew up that death star of that "Star Wars" record. NPR's John Ruwitch tells us about the film that did it.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "NE ZHA 2")
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As character, speaking Mandarin).
JOHN RUWITCH, BYLINE: "Ne Zha 2" was released just in time for the Lunar New Year holiday, which is typically a good time for films. It's kept up momentum, and good doesn't start to describe how well this movie's doing.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "NE ZHA 2")
LU YANTING: (As Nezha, speaking Mandarin).
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #2: (As character) Ah.
RUWITCH: According to box office data from Maoyan, an independent site that tracks ticket sales in China, it's become the highest-grossing animated feature ever. It's also the highest-grossing non-English film ever and the only one to cross the $1 billion threshold at the box office. And it may double that. So I went to check it out.
(CROSSTALK)
RUWITCH: Before taking my seat, I meet 8-year-old Kou Sutong, who's with her dad. She's excited, so I ask her to tell me about the plot of the movie, which is a sequel.
KOU SUTONG: (Speaking Mandarin).
RUWITCH: She says Nezha and his friend Aobing, who are mythical children, were left with only their souls after the first movie. And so they got new bodies.
SUTONG: (Speaking Mandarin).
RUWITCH: Aobing's new body only lasted for a few minutes. And his soul ends up in Nezha's body.
SUTONG: (Speaking Mandarin).
RUWITCH: Hilarity ensues, including, she says, Nezha mistakenly peeing in a vat of drinking water.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
RUWITCH: OK, it's complicated. But the film is much more than a comedy. The plot has twists and turns, action and heart. There are dragons and gods. There's family drama and epic fight scenes...
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "NE ZHA 2")
LU: (As character, speaking Mandarin).
RUWITCH: ...All revolving around a kid who tries to do good despite his hot temper. Part of the secret of the movie's success is that it's steeped in Chinese history and mythology. It's one-of-a-kind IP. "Ne Zha" is the kind of story that many in China grew up hearing. For Western audiences, think "Peter Pan" meets Greek mythology, though even that doesn't capture it.
THOMAS WHYKE: This is basically representing a golden era of Chinese animation.
RUWITCH: Thomas Whyke is an assistant professor of international communications at the University of Nottingham, in Ningbo, China. He analyzed thousands of online reviews and comments about the movie. And he says the film is a hit because it's got first-rate animation, a fast-moving plot with well-known characters, and it was written in a way that appeals to every demographic in China.
WHYKE: It's prioritizing pertinent social issues, but it's not political messaging. I think it's prioritizing entertainment, basically. And it's able to balance that cultural authenticity with that commercial appeal today.
RUWITCH: The director, who goes by the name Jiaozi, or Dumpling, spoke to state TV around the time the film was released. He said conditions were ripe for a hit.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JIAOZI: (Through interpreter) When a country develops to a certain level, when the artistic demands of the people reach a certain point, a market like this will naturally exist.
RUWITCH: As of Wednesday, the film had grossed some $1.7 billion. I spoke with Daniel Manwaring about the movie about a week ago. He's the CEO of IMAX in China. At the time, more than 170 million tickets had been sold.
DANIEL MANWARING: Think about that. That is half the population of the United States - OK? - went to go see this film.
RUWITCH: The number is now more like two-thirds. According to Maoyan, "Ne Zha 2" is now forecast to rake in more than $2 billion at the box office. That's approaching what the movie "Titanic" made. In China, it's become a huge point of national and cultural pride. State media have trumpeted its success as a win for the country. The film opened in the U.S. on Friday. Regardless of how well it does, Manwaring says what it's done in China sends a message. The market here for smart, culturally sensitive content done well is alive and kicking.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
DANIEL MANWARING: Hollywood films still have a home here, but there is going to be pressure on Hollywood to make movies that actually resonate with local audiences.
RUWITCH: And Hollywood filmmakers, he says, will have to adjust. John Ruwitch, NPR News, Beijing.
(SOUNDBITE OF JONUFF'S "ACOUSTIC RELAXATION") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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