2025 Box Office Bloodbath(?): China's Ne Zha 2 crushes the compeition

Over the past decade, Chinese films have been creeping up the Worldwide Box Office charts, and finally in 2025, it is a Chinese film that is easily the highest-grossing film of the year. Ne Zha 2 is the only film in 2025 to break $2 billion with a grand total of $2,259,822,417 according to Box Office Mojo. It comfortably beat all competition, with only Zootopia 2 coming remotely close with $1,830,234,346. 

Ne Zha 2 dominates 2025 box office

With the Avatar franchise flagging on its third entry Fire and Ash (making approximately $1.5 billion less than the original film), and the IP-fuelled likes of Minecraft, Jurassic World: Rebirth, How to Train Your Dragon, Superman and Mission Impossible all failing to reach a billion, it makes Ne Zha 2's success all the more astonishing. 

Not only is it crushing all American competition, but it doesn't need American audiences to do so. Ne Zha 2, as is very common with the most popular Chinese films, made $2,209,602,296 in China alone, meaning only around a poxy $50 million came from audiences outside China. 

This is the culmination of a trend we can see beginning in 2015, when Chinese fantasy adventure Monster Hunt just scraped into the top 20 films of the year with $387,053,506 while the likes of The Force Awakens, Jurassic World, Furious 7, Age of Ultron and Minions were all making comfotably over a billion dollars and sitting atop the charts. 

This was followed by The Mermaid in 2016 which was the 14th highest-grossing film of the year with $553,810,228, then Wolf Warrior 2 which broke into the top 10 of 2017 at number 7 with $870,325,439. Meanwhile, new entries from the Star Wars, Fast and Furious and Despicable Me franchises still dominated alongside another live action Disney remake (Beauty and the Beast) as the only films to break the billion dollar mark.

Arguably, the real shift happens in 2018 with three Chinese films being in the top 20 highest grossing films of the year. In 2019, it's four, including the original Ne Zha which didn't make it to a billion. Then, in the great global clusterfuck of the 2020 pandemic, there are a whopping eight Chinese films in the top 20. No films made even half a billion that year due to cinema closures and lockdowns and the general terrible state of the world. 

Following the anomaly of 2020, things went slightly back to normal, but it must be noted that in 2021, three of the top 10 films are Chinese, including the second and third highest grossers of the year behind the spectacularly successful Spider-man: No Way Home. Two of the top 20 are Chinese in 2022, four in 2023, three in 2024, and three again in 2025 including the all-conquering Ne Zha 2. 

All this to say, there has never been a Chinese film as the worldwide number one highest-grossing film of the year, until 2025 and Ne Zha 2. Not only has it beaten the slowly dying Hollywood franchises of Avatar, Jurassic World, Mission Impossible, Marvel and DC, but it beat the up and coming new franchises like Minecraft and potentially F1. 

Chinese audiences are clearly seeing less Hollywood movies, and becoming more accustomed to their own homegrown hits. Will Hollywood start remaking Chinese hits? Will there be more Hollywood/China co-productions like The Meg? Do Hollywood just need to stop flogging dead horses? One thing is for sure, Hollywood needs to watch its back. Chinese films are here to stay.

Box Office Report on Mad Max Fury Road and Pitch Perfect 2

It's not all an endless cycle of watch movie, review movie, watch next movie, review next movie at Cannes. Over at Tastic Film, I'm also keeping an eye on the box office at home, particularly because Mad Max Fury Road came out on Friday and it was a film that took Cannes by storm.

Surprisingly though, it hasn't done as big business as Pitch Perfect 2, the aca-sequel that seems to have got even more fans since the original film debuted in 2012.

Here is a snippet from my box office report at Tastic Film:

Mad Max Fury Road and Pitch Perfect 2 had the mother of all smackdowns at the box office this weekend, with Pitch Perfect 2 managing to crush its nearest competition with an opening weekend figure of just over $70 million. Anna Kendrick and her aca-tastic co-stars clearly managed to mobilise fans of the first film, which was a surprise success back in 2012. The lure of more energetic sing-offs than you can shake a stick at, proves once again that there is an audience for musicals, even in the age of another superhero blockbuster being released every five minutes. With a worldwide total of over $100 million, Pitch Perfect 2 will most likely end up in the top 10 biggest films of 2015.

Read more of this box office report at Tastic Film.

The Hobbit's Smaug decimates box office competition this weekend

I have written another weekend box office report for Tastic Film and it mainly focuses on The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug as that was the big winner of the weekend. You can read the full report at Tastic Film here but I have provided a little taster below:

After The Hunger Games: Catching Fire lit up the box office in November, you’d think there would be no more fire based puns left to describe what The Desolation of Smaug has done at the box office this weekend. However, the second part of Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy does feature a giant fire breathing dragon so we can safely say it has had a smoking first weekend, leaving competition in the ashes and set the box office charts aflame. With an estimated $73.7 million, it has failed to reach the heady heights of An Unexpected Journey released last December. However, with another $131 million worldwide, The Desolation of Smaug is unsurprisingly on its way to becoming a huge success.

Even though many were at least a bit disappointed with the first film in the trilogy, fans have still flocked to the cinema this weekend to see the continuing adventures of Bilbo and the dwarfs and finally to see the mighty titular dragon in all his glory. The trailers have been promising something a lot more fun and fast-paced than its predecessor and with little competition until Christmas, expect The Desolation of Smaug’s total to continue to soar, possibly even overtaking An Unexpected Journey when word gets around that this one has more action....

Please continue to read the rest of the report at Tastic Film here.

As always, all figures are from Box Office Mojo.

More Box office reports:

Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Diesel-Powered Riddick Fizzles Out

The Butler Marches To $59.3M

The Summer Opening

Monsters Madness
 

Hunger Games Catching Fire tops the box office

Every couple of weeks I contribute a box office report to Tastic Film that looks at what has topped the box office charts in America and elsewhere. This week it was the turn of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire which has surpassed even the high expectations most had for how well it would do. Here is an excerpt from my box office report for this week:

No surprises this week as The Hunger Games: Catching Fire sets light to the box office and smashes Thor and his puny hammer off the top spot. What is slightly surprising is just how scorching Catching Fire’s box office take will be on its opening weekend. It is estimated to take over $160 million in North America alone, almost doubling that for its worldwide take. This is a huge debut for a film not released in 3D and also in the traditionally quieter movie month of November. Catching Fire is leaving other young adult adaptations in its ash, namely the recent Twilight franchise that never performed this well. It is a step up from the first film in the trilogy and bodes well for the final book, now split (like Twilight) into two potentially massive movies.

Way back in second place, Thor: The Dark World took a measly $14 million but thanks to its own strong opening in both America and abroad, is still riding high on a worldwide take of nearly $550 million at the moment. The Best Man Holiday follows in third taking only around $8 million but after its surprisingly high opening weekend last week, is already well into profitable territory, beating the $50 million mark before it even opens overseas and all from a budget of $17 million.

Read the rest of the box office report at Tastic Film here.

You can also read my review of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire at Starburst Magazine here. 

Have you seen it yet? Reckon it deserves to top the box office charts again next week?

Box Office Report on Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 and more

Continuing my role as box office reporter for Film and TV news and reviews website Tastic film, I have written a brief overview of what has been big at the American box office and beyond over the last week. Here is a sneak peek but please head over to Tastic Film for the full report!




Animated family sequel Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 has proved a very tasty treat for audiences over the weekend, opening to a respectable $35 million. Playing in over 4000 cinemas, it has gained a bigger audience than its predecessor but has fallen supremely short of this year’s other big animated sequel, Despicable Me 2 which currently still sits as the second biggest film of the year. However, expect Cloudy to devour ticket sales over the next couple of weeks.

Cloudy’s nearest competitor is the far more adult thriller Prisoners which has been at number one all week since opening last weekend. The tale of child kidnapping has not put off audiences with its shocking violence and buoyed by excellent reviews and the star power of Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal, has managed to make $45 million worldwide so far with the international box office bound to pick up this week, even if domestic takings dropped significantly after the opening weekend. 

Insidious Chapter 2 which had a huge opening weekend earlier in September has slipped further down to number 6 in the weekend box office charts but has already taken over $78 million in three weeks of release off the back of a paltry $5 million budget...

Head over to Tastic Film for the rest of the box office report.

More of my recent box office reports for Tastic Film:

Diesel-Powered Riddick Fizzles Out

The Butler Marches To $59.3M



The Summer Opening



Monsters Madness

Box Office Report for August

I've been busy with holidays and being ill but am back with a vengeance now and have just posted a box office report for Tastic Film for the month of August. Using the mighty Box Office Mojo as a source all things film and finance, I wrap up what's been hot, what's been not and what has been storming the charts in the past week.

We're the Millers is the big surprise of the past month but Lee Daniels' The Butler looks all set to do big business over the next few weeks.

We're the Winners!

Here is a teaser of the box office report but please head over to Tastic Film to check out the full report.

"Surprise comedy hit of the summer We’re the Millers is still hanging on to number 2 in the box office charts this week after three weeks on release and taking nearly $120 million across the globe. The raunchy comedy about a pot smuggling fake family stars Jason Sudeikis and Jennifer Aniston and has had very mixed reviews but has proved a hit with audiences, particularly in America. Over the past month it has taken even more than sci-fi spectacular Elysium on home turf, though the Matt Damon and Jodie Foster starring action flick has pulled in more punters in international territories..."

I then go on to discuss the box office performance of other big hits 2 Guns, Planes, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters and Kick-Ass 2.

What did you think of the box office winners and losers this month? Any surprises?

Check out my reviews of 2 Guns and We're the Millers by clicking the titles.

Recent reviews at I Love That Film: 

You're Next Review

We're the Millers Review

Lovelace Review

2 Guns Review

The Lone Ranger Review

Box office reports: Iron Man 3 and Star Trek Into Darkness

I've been doing some pretty regular box office reports for Tastic Film, particularly on some of the biggest releases of the blockbuster season so far: Iron Man 3 and Star Trek Into Darkness.

I look at what is topping the charts each week and how much money they are making and often compare it to their budgets to see how much profit they are taking. I'm really enjoying writing box office reports but I do find the predictability of the big winners a bit depressing. It would be great to see more box office surprises when world cinema or little indie films take audiences by storm and make a killing.

I'm developing more and more respect for the site Box Office Mojo where I get most of my figures from. It has everything and so many lists and other wonderful bits like news and comparisons and functionality that means you can look at monthly, weekly, annual or daily figures. It gives too much prominence to US box office figures and I'd like to see them have more for UK box office statistics but nevertheless it is an essential tool for my research.

It has been interesting doing these reports as keeps me very conscious of what is doing well at the box office and when things perform well or under perform. For instance many expected more from Star Trek Into Darkness and Iron Man 3 had the second biggest opening weekend ever just behind Marvel's Avengers.

These behemoths don't really give a chance to smaller films with all their marketing and dedicated fan bases. It just goes to show that if the studios are willing to spend big on marketing and push for the all important opening weekend, they can make back their huge budgets and then just sit back and relax and watch the profits roll in. However there is hope with smaller films occasionally breaking through (just maybe not during the summer blockbuster season)! Stay tuned for more of my box office reports at Tastic Film, all of which you can see by clicking here.

Box Office of March, Mathieu Kasovitz's Rebellion and Marlow FM slot

My second box office report for Tastic Film has just been published covering the biggest box office hits of the month of March. Check out the box office report here. Family friendly fare unsurprisingly took the lead this month and I'm looking forward to hopefully writing about more horror success stories like the Evil Dead remake in April. It will also be interesting to see how Spring Breakers does with its clear mainstream appeal but also experimental and art house elements.

My review for Mathieu Kassovitz's Rebellion is also up at Filmoria today. I loved the film and am glad to see director Kassovitz back on form. I'm also going to be participating in a roundtable interview with the director on Sunday which is absolutely terrifying but also incredibly exciting. His La Haine is one of my top 3 films of all time so I will have to resist the urge to not just ask him about that and keep questions focused on Rebellion. It probably would not be very professional of me to try and get a photo with him or get him to sign any of my copies of his films but we'll see how it goes! If you have any questions for Mr Kassovitz, then please drop me a comment and I'll try and ask them!

In other exciting news, I've just been given a regular weekly slot on a local radio station called Marlow FM,  to talk about upcoming films. You can listen to Marlow FM here and I should be on soon after 5pm today if you want to check it out. It's very exciting to be on the radio and I'm looking forward to telling the people of Marlow what films to watch out for at the cinema every week.

If you live in London, you can go to a Q&A with Mathieu Kassovitz on Sunday at three different venues. Here are my tweets and links to where you can get tickets. It also means you get to see the film almost a week before general release!

Q&A with #Rebellion and #LaHaine director Mathieu Kassovitz @picturehouses Hackney 2pm Sunday!!! Get tickets here http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Hackney_Picturehouse/film/Rebellion/

Q&A Screening #Rebellion director Mathieu Kassovitz @ODEONCinemas  Covent Garden 4pm this Sunday! Get tickets here http://www.odeon.co.uk/fanatic/film_info/m100564/Rebellion_Q_amp_A_With_Mathieu_Kassovitz/

#Rebellion #LaHaine director Mathieu Kassovitz at Cine Lumiere 6pm this Sunday! Get tickets here http://www.institut-francais.org.uk/cine-lumiere/whats-on/new-releases/rebellion/

Any questions for Kassovitz, then let me know!

Box Office Reporter for Tastic Film

I have just been given the proud title of Box Office Reporter for the Tastic Film website. My first piece on what is big at the US Box Office in March 2013 is now online at Tastic Film here. It looks at the top 10 of the month and discusses what is big, what is making lots of money and what is profitable.

I met the guy that runs Tastic Film at the Flight premiere where we were both scrambling to get some words from the man of the moment Denzel Washington. Tastic Film also has a great YouTube channel full of red carpet reports and other bits and pieces so head over and check it out. It's also available in print and is likely going to expand across the pond to having writers from America on board.

I will be doing one or two box office reports every month for Tastic Film, mainly focusing on the US box office and the top 10 films of the month. Box Office Mojo is going to be my essential tool for gathering information on the biggest grossing films and their production budgets.

It is interesting to focus on the business side of things and particularly keeping an eye on what films do well at the box office, but more specifically which films become the most profitable. Some of the budgets on these films are astronomical and must be huge gambles for the Hollywood studios. This month for example Jack the Giant Slayer cost nearly $200 million and though its got some serious star and special effects power, surely it will have to be pretty damn popular to make a profit off a budget that huge.

Other big releases of the month include Oz the Great and Powerful, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and The Last Exorcism Part 2 so head on over to Tastic Film and check out the biggest box office hits of the month.

More box office reports at Tastic Film:

Week of Magical Action
The Scare Off
Iron Man 3
Star Trek Into Darkness