By Reuters
BEIJING, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Chinese animated blockbuster Nezha 2 overtook Pixar's Inside Out 2 on Tuesday to become the highest-grossing animated film globally, according to data from ticketing platform Maoyan.
Nezha 2 has amassed a total box office of 12.3 billion yuan ($1.69 billion) including pre-sales and overseas earnings, making it the eighth-highest box office film globally.
Over 99% of Nezha 2's box office income has come from mainland China, starkly in contrast to Hollywood films, which typically rely on a more global distribution strategy.
Nezha 2 is a sequel to the 2019 hit Nezha. The film is based on a 16th-century Chinese novel "The Investiture of the Gods," depicting a hero boy with magic power who tries to defend Chentangguan, a fortress town.
Directed by Sichuan-born director Yang Yu, also known as Jiaozi, the film propelled the 2025 Lunar New Year box office in the country to an all-time high.
($1 = 7.2776 Chinese yuan renminbi)
(Reporting by Sophie Yu, Brenda Goh, editing by Ed Osmond)
