Blockbuster blazes trail to HK

Ayra Wang

Mainland blockbuster Nezha 2 will hit Hong Kong theaters on Saturday.

The animated film is set to be released across Hong Kong and Macau, thanks to strong coordination between the central government's Liaison Offices and relevant departments in the two SARs, according to China Film Administration.

A premiere took place at the Jade and Pearl Plaza in Causeway Bay last night, while Macau will stage its premiere today.

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui, speaking at the premier, said Nezha 2 represents a brilliant new chapter in the development of national movies.

She added the film is a very good model for Hong Kong and she will seriously consider how to provide better assistance to the local movie industry.

Presale tickets for the film were available starting at 5pm yesterday.

The movie, based on Chinese mythology and the 16th-century novel Fengshen Yanyi (The Investiture of the Gods), tells the story of Nezha, son of ancient Chinese commander Li Jing, and Ao Bing, 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 already exceeded 12 billion yuan (HK$12.8 billion) as of February 17, placing it among the top 10 highest-grossing films globally.

It 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.

Directed by Yang Yu, also known as Jiaozi, Nezha 2 continues the comedic style of its predecessor, Nezha (2019), which grossed more than 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 team of 4,000 animators over the course of five years.

According to the MCL ticketing app, Festival Walk Cinema has 20 screenings of Nezha 2 throughout Saturday, while Metro City Plaza Cinema has 19 screenings.

ayra.wang@singtaonewscorp.com