Latest news with #CedricBehrel
The Independent
10-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Record-breaking Chinese animated film gets UK and Ireland release dates
Chinese animated blockbuster Ne Zha 2 finally has a release date for 37 territories across Europe, including the UK and Ireland. UK-based, pan-European distributor Trinity CineAsia secured the theatrical rights to the film from Beijing Enlight Media and will release the film across Europe, including in Germany, France, Spain, UK, and Ireland. Ne Zha 2 will open in the UK and Ireland on 21 March, followed by releases in other countries, said Trinity CineAsia. 'Rarely do you get a film that truly defines the era, shows again the unique power of cinema to move audiences, and makes an indelible mark on culture — this is Ne Zha 2,' Trinity CineAsia managing director Cedric Behrel told Deadline. 'After years spent cultivating the audience and building relationships with exhibitors, press and other stakeholders, as well as our online presence, Ne Zha 2 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.' According to a report in Deadline, streaming rights for Ne Zha 2 are not part of this acquisition and are being negotiated separately. A sequel to the 2019 fantasy adventure Ne Zha, the animated film follows a young boy born with unique powers who teams up with dragon prince Ao Bing to fight demons and save the very community that fears him. The film series, written and directed by Jiaozi, is loosely based on a 16th-century novel, Investiture of the Gods, attributed to Xu Zhonglin. The film reportedly took over 4,000 artists across 138 animation companies to create, with more than 2,400 shots. Released in China for the lunar new year on 29 January, Ne Zha 2 managed to captivate audiences of all ages and achieve significant success, boosted by the extended holiday period when many people returned home to celebrate. In the first week of its release alone, Ne Zha 2 made ¥4.84bn (£534 m) in China, setting the record for the most money made by a single film in the new year period. Since then, it has gone on to break multiple records. Ne Zha 2, made on a $80m (£61.9m) budget, is already the highest-grossing animated film in history making $2.06bn (£1.59bn) in China, followed by Inside Out 2, which made $1.7bn (£1.3bn) worldwide. Overall, Ne Zha 2 ranks as the sixth among the highest-grossing films worldwide, overtaking Avengers: Infinity War, and sitting behind Avatar, Avengers: Endgame, Avatar: The Way Of Water, Titanic, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It's also the first non-Hollywood film to gross over a billion. Industry projections had put Ne Zha 2 firmly in place to beat 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens as the highest-grossing film in a single market, which the film managed to do in its second week. On the film's appeal in China, 29-year-old Zhou Jingwen told AFP: 'I think it's different from traditional American animated films,' adding that it was 'rich with Chinese mythological background,' and therefore likely to engage a foreign audience as well. Ne Zha 2 opened in North America on 14 February, where it has made $18m, and has just begun its Southeast Asia rollout, premiering in Singapore and Malaysia over the previous week.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Ne Zha 2,' World's Highest-Grossing Animated Film, Heads to European Theaters
Trinity CineAsia has secured theatrical distribution rights for 'Ne Zha 2' across 37 European territories, including the U.K., Ireland, Germany, France and Spain, from Beijing Enlight Media. The animated blockbuster, which has shattered box office records, will debut in the U.K. and Ireland on March 21, with previews beginning March 14. The Chinese animated epic has made history as the highest-grossing animated film worldwide, surpassing 'Inside Out 2,' and becoming the first non-Hollywood production to crack the global all-time top 10 box office chart. It currently ranks sixth behind only 'Avatar,' 'Avatar: The Way of Water,' 'Avengers: Endgame,' 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens,' and 'Titanic.' The film has also achieved the unprecedented milestone of grossing $1 billion in a single market – China – where it was released on Jan. 29. It passed $2 billion in China over the weekend. More from Variety China Box Office: 'Ne Zha 2' Passes $2 Billion, Climbs to 6th in All-Time Imax Rankings China Box Office: 'Ne Zha 2' Nears $2 Billion as Imax Total Hits $144 Million 'Ne Zha 2' Review: Hit Chinese Animated Sequel Delivers in Jaw-Dropping Visual Spectacle, but Overflows With Lore 'Rarely do you get a film that truly defines the era, shows again 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, press and other stakeholders, as well as our online presence, 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. We look forward to more adventures in this realm,' Behrel added. The film follows Ne Zha, a demon child raised by humans, who must embark on a perilous quest to obtain an elixir to restore the body of his uneasy ally, the dragon prince Ao Bing. During this journey, Ne Zha uncovers a conspiracy threatening to ignite a war between good and evil. Rooted in 16th-century Chinese mythology but offering a bold reinterpretation, 'Ne Zha 2' represents a technical marvel in animation. The film was crafted over five years by a team of 4,000 animators and features nearly 2,000 visual effects shots. One battle sequence reportedly involved 200 million individually animated characters – an approach rarely implemented at this scale. Beyond its technical achievements, director Jiao Zi's sequel builds upon the themes of its predecessor. While the first film centered on defying fate, 'Ne Zha 2' challenges institutions and the status quo, exploring the concept that good and evil are not determined by race or origin. Trinity CineAsia has established itself as a premium distributor for martial arts and Asian action cinema in the U.K. market. Its recent releases include 'Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In' (Hong Kong's submission to the 2025 Oscars), 'Black Dog' (which won at Cannes Un Certain Regard), and 'The Goldfinger,' which reunited 'Infernal Affairs' stars Tony Leung and Andy Lau. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Oscars 2026: First Blind Predictions Including Timothée Chalamet, Emma Stone, 'Wicked: For Good' and More What's Coming to Disney+ in March 2025
