The mainland’s blockbuster Nezha 2 will hit Hong Kong theaters on Saturday (Feb 22), with a premiere event scheduled for Tuesday evening.
The China Film Administration announced that the animated film will be widely released across Hong Kong and Macau, thanks to strong coordination between the central government’s Liaison Offices and relevant departments in the two Special Administrative Regions.
A premiere ceremony will take place at the Jade and Pearl Plaza in Causeway Bay at 8 pm on Tuesday, while Macau will host its premiere on Wednesday.
Presale tickets for the film will be available starting at 5 pm on Tuesday.
Based on Chinese mythology and the 16th-century novel Fengshen Yanyi (The Investiture of the Gods), the film tells the story of Nezha, the son of ancient Chinese commander Li Jing, and Ao Bing, the son of the Dragon King of the East Sea.
Four distributors -- Mandarin Motion Pictures, Intercontinental Film Distributors (HK), Sil-Metropole Organization, and Emperor Motion Pictures -- have confirmed the film's release.
Their cinema chains -- Cinema City, MCL, WMOOV, and Emperor Cinemas -- will collaborate to screen the movie.
According to the mainland box office platform Maoyan Professional Edition, Nezha 2's total box office has already exceeded 12 billion yuan (HK$12.8 billion) as of February 17, placing it among the top 10 highest-grossing films globally.
The film has also been released in international markets, including Australia, New Zealand, North America, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea.
Its presale numbers and screening volume in North America set new records for a Chinese language film in the region on February 14, with some theaters even adding midnight screenings to meet audience demand.
Directed by Yang Yu (also known as Jiaozi), Nezha 2 continues the comedic style of its predecessor, Nezha (2019), which grossed over 5 million yuan at the box office.
The sequel features more than 1,900 visual effects shots and over 10,000 visual effects elements, created by a talented team of 4,000 animators over the course of five years.
(Ayra Wang)
