Interview: Ne Zha 2 success showcases growing influence of Chinese culture, says sinologist

ZAGREB, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The record box office of the Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" has showcased the success of the Chinese movie industry as well as the growing influence of Chinese culture, said Ivica Bakota, a Croatian sinologist and assistant professor at the Capital Normal University in Beijing, China, in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"The success of this new animation movie, Ne Zha 2, shows first of all, the success of the Chinese movie industry, success in bringing up the content that comes from Chinese mythology as well as partially from Chinese history, in bringing to the audiences that are not only Chinese but also Western audiences," Bakota told Xinhua.

The success of the movie has also proved that China can produce blockbusters that are of the same level as Hollywood, and can find ways to communicate with worldwide audiences, Bakota said, adding that Western audiences, especially the younger generation, have embraced the Chinese blockbuster as "good storytelling, appealing and attractive."

"Ne Zha 2" has become the first non-Hollywood film to exceed 2 billion U.S. dollars in global earnings, including presales, according to data from ticketing platform Maoyan. In addition, it surpassed Disney's 2024 film "Inside Out 2" to become the highest-grossing animated movie of all time.

This achievement has added to the film's growing list of accolades, including being the first to gross 1 billion U.S. dollars in a single market and the first non-Hollywood title to enter the billion-dollar club.

In the eyes of Bakota, who has followed the Chinese movie industry for a long time, the latest success of China is not surprising as it has invested a lot in the movie industry in the past 10 years.

"A lot of money has been invested in communicating such narratives to first of all local audiences. And it was just a matter of time when it would go abroad with a big story like this," he added.

Moreover, the success of Ne Zha 2 has showcased the growing influence of Chinese culture, he said.

"Chinese cultural influence is definitely growing and I believe it will continue to grow," Bakota said, noting that the growing influence of Chinese culture has been backed not only by its sturdy, stable economy but also by China's history and civilization of thousands of years. ■