Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" becomes 7th highest-grossing film worldwide

Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" has grossed over 14.16 billion yuan (1.94 billion U.S. dollars) in box office revenue as of Saturday, surpassing "Spider-Man: No Way Home", and securing its position among the top seven films of all time globally.

The box office sensation has jumped from the eighth to seventh place on the global box office chart in just ten days. This animated film has not only become the highest-grossing animated film worldwide, but it is also the first in Chinese cinema history to surpass the 10 billion yuan (1.37 billion U.S. dollar) mark in the Asian market. Additionally, it has set a new record for the highest box office earnings in a single film market worldwide.

Since its release in various countries, "Ne Zha 2" has resonated with international audiences. Italian director Sergio Basso, a veteran with over 30 films to his name, praised the film for its stunning special effects and artistic design. He noted that the film's nuanced emotional depth is a testament to its quality, highlighting Ne Zha's iconic line -- "I am the master of my own destiny" -- as particularly relatable to Western viewers.

"The secret to a film's success lies in its ability to resonate universally with audiences, touching the sentiments that reside in everyone's hearts. In Latin, there is a similar saying - Homo faber fortunae suae, l'uomo è artefice della propria sorte (Man is the architect of his own fate). Despite the differences in environments thousands of years ago, both Europeans and Chinese have arrived at the same conclusion that if we can firmly believe in our sentiments and trust in the power of unity and brotherhood, we can grow together," he said.

Basso also highlighted the need for diverse cultural content in the global entertainment market, advocating for a harmonious coexistence of different cultures.

"China has a wealth of captivating mythological stories and fascinating historical narratives from various dynasties. China is eager to share these tales with the rest of the world, and through this sharing, we can deepen our understanding of one another. This exchange is a beautiful dance of cultural interaction, and we should all participate in this harmonious collaboration," he said.

Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" becomes 7th highest-grossing film worldwide

Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" becomes 7th highest-grossing film worldwide

Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" becomes 7th highest-grossing film worldwide

A 10-billion-yuan fund has been established at the just-concluded 2025 Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum) Annual Conference in Beijing to support China's emerging sectors of strategic importance.

The special fund, worth nearly 1.38 billion U.S. dollars, was announced at the Core Technology Investment and Development Forum on Sunday, aiming to provide financial support for a number of high-quality tech enterprises and help foster an innovation ecology conducive to the development of new quality productive forces.

The fund is established by multiple companies including the Zhongguancun Development Group, New China Life Insurance Company, and the Financial Asset Investment Company, a subsidiary of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.

At the forum, projects of nine universities and institutes, including Tsinghua University and Peking University, received investment from the fund, with a total value of nearly 250 million yuan (about 34.45 million U.S. dollars) signed.

"We have built a full-life cycle industrial fund system around different growth stages of enterprises, from Angel investment, venture capital, to mergers and acquisitions, including mother fund, direct investment fund, second-hand share transfer fund, etc. For high-quality core technology projects, we have taken the lead in investing, making heavy and long-term investments. So far, we have cumulatively invested in more than 4,000 science and technology projects, among which over 1,000 national-level high-tech enterprises, nearly 800 enterprises that use specialized and sophisticated technologies to produce novel and unique products, 96 unicorn companies, and 161 listed companies have emerged," said Pan Jinfeng, chairman of Zhongguancun Development Group.

The 2025 Annual Conference of ZGC Forum ran from March 27 to 31 in the Chinese capital under the theme of "New Quality Productive Forces and Global Technology Cooperation," comprising five major sections, including meetings and technology trading.

The event provided new ideas and insights for global innovative development in large AI models, embodied intelligence, quantum technology, biomedicine, 6G, brain-computer interfaces, and other frontier areas in 128 events, highlighting the transformation of Zhongguancun, China's "Silicon Valley," into a global innovation hub, marked by groundbreaking technologies and the convergence of global expertise.

New fund created at 2025 ZGC Forum to support strategic emerging industries