Photo courtesy of Cartoonbrew.com.
A Chinese animated film that is shattering box-office records will be playing this week in Jersey City.
“Ne Zha 2,” inspired by a famous Chinese legend, follows a spunky child deity named Ne Zha who rewrites his destiny and uses his powers to protect his community from enemies. The limited-time showing will be airing at Newport’s AMC theater in Downtown Jersey City starting this Thursday, Feb. 13 until Wednesday, Feb. 19.
“It’s a purely Chinese animated film, deeply rooted in Chinese cultural heritage,” Nianyi Zhao, an independent film critic in China, told NBC News. “Regardless of how the story is structured, Chinese audiences are willing to support it as a way of promoting domestic animation and sharing Chinese culture with the world.”
Its first film, “Ne Zha,” was released in 2019 and introduced him as a once demonic child who broke through manipulation of the gods to become a caring hero; the film became one of China’s biggest cinematic successes. Nezha is half-boy and half-deity, hailing from Ming Dynasty literature “Investiture of the Gods.” In this sequel, the character protects an innocent community from dragons of the East China Sea.
The release of “Ne Zha 2” aligns with the wrap-up of Lunar New Year, which is a 15-day holiday that was celebrated throughout Hudson County with cultural performances, festivals, activities and more.
But, according to multiple reports, this new sequel has already squashed that; it is now the most successful film in Chinese box office history and is the first non-Hollywood film to earn more than $1 billion—and you can watch it right within Hudson County.
Aside from the numbers, the thus-far recognition of “Ne Zha” films mixed with the on-and-off relationship between U.S. TikTok and Xiaohongshu (RedNote) users, as well as increased Lunar New Year celebrations, show that there’s a shift happening.
“Looking outward, foreigners are getting into Chinese traditional culture through figures like Wukong and Ne Zha. They try out the lifestyles of Chinese people through ‘China Travel’ and Xiaohongshu. This attraction reflects a universal longing for a better life shared by people around the world,” The Global Times wrote in an editorial.
“Countries should align with, respond to, and respect this demand, focusing on doing their own things well while also contributing to a more peaceful and harmonious world. This is an important aspect of our emphasis on win-win cooperation and serves as the foundation of public sentiment.”
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“Ne Zha 2” will be airing at Newport’s AMC, also called AMC Newport Centre 11, in 2D and 3D and in Mandarin with English subtitles. Chinese made up the third-largest Asian population in Hudson County, according to a previous report.
Showtimes and tickets can be found here and bought online or in-person at 30 Mall Drive W.
