Chinese film Ne Zha 2, which has taken more than $2bn at the global box office and become the highest-grossing animated feature of all time, has landed distribution in 37 territories across Europe including the UK and Ireland.
UK-based distributor Trinity CineAsia has secured theatrical distribution rights from Beijing Enlight Media and will begin with previews of the blockbuster in UK-Ireland cinemas from March 14 before opening on more than 200 screens on March 21.
A full list of territories and release dates has yet to be revealed but Screen understands it will next open in France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Benelux and Scandinavia.
It marks a major deal for Trinity CineAsia, which has been picking up top performing titles from China, Hong Kong and Japan among others. It recently released Detective Chinatown 1900 in cinemas across UK-Ireland, Spain, France, Germany and Benelux, recording the biggest opening day box office for a Chinese-language film in the UK for 17 years.
“Rarely do you get a film that truly defines the era, shows the unique power of cinema to move audiences, and makes an indelible mark on culture. This is Ne Zha 2,” said Cedric Behrel, managing director of Trinity CineAsia.
“It signifies a major turning point in further establishing Trinity CineAsia as a pan-European distributor. After years spent cultivating the audience and building relationships with exhibitors… it is a landmark for Trinity CineAsia in terms of reaching the far corners of the continent and developing our offering to a far larger audience.”
Directed by Jiaozi (aka Yu Yang), Ne Zha 2 is inspired by a well-known character from Chinese mythology with unique powers. The title character is a mischievous demon child raised by humans who forms an uneasy alliance with a dragon prince, Ao Bing, in an epic battle to protect their clans.
In the aftermath of the fight, their bodies teeter on the edge of destruction and Ne Zha must embark on a perilous quest to obtain an elixir to restore Ao Bing’s body. During this demon-slaying journey, he uncovers a conspiracy that will spark a devastating war between good and evil.
Produced by Chengdu Coco Cartoon and Beijing Enilight Pictures, the film has been praised for its script, special effects and ambitious animated sequences. It was made over five years by a team of 4,000 animators, comprising nearly 2,000 visual effects shots and including one scene that involved 200 million individually animated characters.
Released on January 29, the first day of Chinese New Year, it has since taken RMB14.66bn ($2.02bn) in China alone, according to ticketing and big data platform Maoyan.
As well as becoming the highest-grossing animated film of all time, it is the first to surpass $1bn in a single territory and is the sixth biggest film at the box office of all time. It was released in North America through CMC Pictures on February 14 and ranks as the highest-grossing non-US film ever.
It is set to open in southeast Asia territories such as the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam this week and a release in Japan, where animated features dominate the box office, is set for April 4.
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