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Movie-goers wait to watch Ne Zha 2 in a theater in Shanghai on January 29, 2025. Photo: VCG

As the latest box-office sensation of Chinese film industry, Ne Zha 2has grossed more than $1.152 billion and on Monday entered the top 30 global box office chart as the only non-Hollywood film. Presales for the film in overseas cinemas have been high, fueling the film's potential to conquer the global movie market. Just how far the film can reach remains a mystery to everyone interviewed by the Global Times. "It makes Chinese proud," Nancy, a Chinese woman who resides in Los Angeles and watched the film at the premiere, said. 

The film made its overseas premiere Saturday night in Los Angeles, the US. Hundreds of fans and filmmakers, including Chinese living in the US such as Nancy and Linden, were drawn to the scene, where they immersed themselves in the vibrant atmosphere.

"The cinema was completely packed. Before the screening began, the host announced that Ne Zha 2had grossed over $1 billion, making it the first non-Hollywood film to achieve this milestone, which prompted cheers and applause from the audience. After the film concluded, we were deeply moved by its story and awed by the stunning visuals," Linden said in an online interview with the Global Times.

Linden remarked that she had recommended the film to friends and had purchased tickets to experience it again. However, she added, "I must say that the screening duration is too short - only about a week or even less. Many people are unable to secure tickets on this  film due to the limited number of screenings in theaters," said Linden.

To cater to the high demand, additional show times will be added on Monday at local cinemas in cities such as New York and Los Angeles, according to CCTV. The ticket frenzy was also evidenced by reports from other residents from different countries. 

Dong Wenzhu, a Chinese resident in Portland, the US, told the Global Times that when she tried to purchase a ticket for the film on Monday, she was unable to grab a seat with a good view. And Crystal in Los Angeles was forced to postpone her movie-watching plans on the first day of the film's North American release due to the unavailability of tickets.

A Brisbane resident in Australia, identified by the surname Zheng, attended a packed cinema for the local advance screening of the film on Monday. "About 30 percent of the audience were non-Chinese," he shared with the Global Times.

Accompanying the film's booming box office is its stellar reputation and high ratings.

Dong noted that her growing interest in the film is partly due to the positive reviews from US film critics. Ne Zha 2has received an impressive rating of 8.3/10 on the review platform IMDb. Hollywood producer Robert King praised the film's quality and scale after watching the premiere, saying that Chinese films have made significant strides in storytelling in recent years, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Domestic platforms such as Maoyan and foreign media have been raising their forecasts about the film's total gross, and the current highest estimate is $1.48 billion.

"While box-office predictions may vary, the good performance of the film has created an opportunity for the world to observe the rise of the Chinese film industry. If China can continue to produce high-quality content and improve its industrial ecosystem, the global influence of Chinese cinema is expected to enter a new phase," Zhang Peng, a film researcher and associate professor at Nanjing Normal University, told the Global Times.

Zhang also noted that the potential for overseas box-office success of Chinese-language films is still limited by distribution channels. Therefore, increasing the number of screenings and improving distribution methods are crucial factors for the film to achieve further breakthroughs.