Audiences stormed the Budapest cinema for Ne Zha 2!
Tickets were snapped up in a matter of hours for the Chinese animated fantasy Ne Zha 2, the highest-grossing animated feature ever made in the world with over $2.2 billion in box office receipts, and the highest-grossing Chinese film ever made, which was screened on the evening of 5 June as part of the Imazsai Chinese Film Week Extra programme. For now, it will only be screened once at the Uránia cinema in Budapest. On 6 June, the second highest-grossing film of the year, Chinatown Detective 1900, will also be screened at the same venue as part of the Imagery Chinese Film Week.
Launched in China earlier this year Ne Zha 2 became an instant box-office sensation, grossing $550 million in the six days following its premiere, an unprecedented record in film history. However, interest has continued unabated and it has now grossed over $2 billion, making it the most successful animated film in the world. The story follows Ne Zha, a young demon-hunting boy with special powers, who embarks on a life-threatening quest to obtain the elixir that will restore the body of his ally Ao Bing. Along the way, he uncovers a conspiracy that could spark a devastating war between good and evil. In order to protect all that is important to him, he must also face many superhuman forces.
A bold reimagining rooted in Chinese mythology, Ne Zha 2 is a breathtakingly spectacular super-production that took 4,000 animators five years to create. The film will be screened in Budapest for the first time in a sold-out screening as part of the Extra programme of the Imazsai Chinese Film Week. The screening on 5 June sold out in a matter of hours before the organisers could even announce the programme.
The other extra screening of the film week offers a thrilling moment for crime lovers. A Chinatown Detective 1900 (2025), a crime comedy set in 1900, is about an unlikely group of people who band together to solve the mystery of San Francisco's Chinatown. They must also find the killer of the white woman who was murdered there from underground. They must act quickly, because the case is causing a huge public outcry and the population is turning against the Chinese community.
The fourth installment in the Detective Chinatown series closed this New Year's Eve season in second place behind the champion Nezha 2. With nearly $500 million, it is still one of the top 15 highest-grossing Chinese films ever. The combination of crime and comedy has proved a hit with audiences in every episode so far, with Hong Kong action star Chow Yun-fat returning to the camera in this 4th instalment. The film will be screened on the evening of 6 June, also at the Uránia cinema in Budapest, as part of the Imazsai Chinese Film Week Extra.
