How the world's highest-grossing film of 2025 with $2 billion gross ended up as the biggest box office flop in USA

This animated film broke box office records globally but shockingly flopped hard in USA, opening to a meagre $1.5 million.

Updated on: Aug 29, 2025, 20:04:07 IST

By Santanu Das

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It is an animated film that delivered a sensation at the summer box office globally. Not any Marvel release or Superman, but the Chinese animated film Ne Zha 2 broke records and earned more than $2 billion worldwide. It is now the highest-grossing animated film of all time as well as the highest-grossing film of 2025. But there is a catch! Ne Zha 2 had a shocking box office report upon its US release on August 24. The English-dubbed re-release earned $1.5 million last weekend despite massive hype, becoming a box office bomb.

This animated film has turned out to be a huge flop at the US box office.

Ne Zha 2 bombs at the US box office

The point to note here is that the animated action-comedy-fantasy Ne Zha 2 was re-released in US theatres by A24 with a voice-cast that was led by Michelle Yeoh. The English-dubbed release minted a mere $1.5 million last weekend, which expectedly did not earn a spot on the top 10 grossers. Till now the film has managed a total of $16 million.

A detailed report on Deadline pointed out the demographics of how the film has been perceived. “A24 is handling this English re-release which isn’t making a dent at $1.4M at 2,228 theatres or $628 per screen. A 91% general audience and 8% family turnout. Overall, audiences gave it 85% positive and a 61% definite, while kids under 12 awards it 86% positive, but a lower 43% definite recommendation. Friday was $696K,” it said.

On Ne Zha 2's failure in USA

It must be noted that the film released last week with 14 other movies released on the same date, including Honey Don't!, Relay, Trust, Splitsville, Eenie Meanie and Eden. The failure of the English-dubbed release states that the Chinese market is no longer a big revenue indicator in Hollywood. The English-subtitled version released earlier this year and earned much more than the re-release, which shows that Americans were more interested in the film in its original Chinese-language form.

Ne Jha 2 is based on the Chinese mythological character and Xu Zhonglin's 16th-century novel Investiture of the Gods (Fengshen Yanyi). It is directed by Jiaozi.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Santanu Das
Santanu Das is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over 5 years of experience, writing on films, pop culture and film festivals. He has a keen interest in writing about South Asian independent films and has covered several film festivals, including Sundance and CPH: Docx. He also brings a sharp perspective to the monthly column called The Fault in Our Stars, where he writes about a recent film/series and what stops the ‘good’ from becoming ‘great’. A gold medalist from Banaras Hindu University, Santanu completed his postgraduate studies in English from Jadavpur University. He is also a Rotten Tomatoes-certified film critic. When not watching films or speaking to celebrities, Santanu can be found reading a book. Some of his favourite films are Aparajito, Ponyo and The Double Life of Veronique. His favourite books include The Corrections, The God of Small Things and A Room of One's Own. Santanu continues to write passionately about films and celebrity culture. He brings a relatable, as well as critically informed, lens to entertainment and culture for a wide audience. Find him on LinkedIn: santanudasfilm Instagram: @santupechaRead More

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