Fans of the Chinese animated film Ne Zha 2 have come out against Captain America: Brave New World in the battle for box office supremacy.
The movie, about a boy with magical powers who battles demons, opened in the country on January 29 and has been an unprecedented box office smash, with sales that put it among the highest grossing movies of all time.
With a worldwide box office gross of $1.7Billion, the film has become the highest grossing animation of all time (passing Inside Out 2), as well as being the highest-grossing film in China, the highest-grossing non-English language film of all time, and the first non-English film to earn $1Billion at the box office.
The success of the movie has caused a swell of national pride in its home country. A report from the BBC has revealed that fans are taking to social media to support the film and disparage the Marvel competitor, which sees Anthony Mackie assume the Captain America role on the big screen for the first time.
“I don’t care if Ne Zha 2 can survive overseas, but Captain America 4 must die in China” is a reportedly popular slogan on social media posts across the country. One forum poster wrote: “It’s not Captain America that’s dying, but America that’s dying”, arguing the film’s popularity is tied to its home country’s reputation. “In reality, the US does not have superheroes and the US is not a peace-loving, peace-defending beacon for humanity”.
Brave New World has made just over $11Million since its release on February 14, and currently stands at $198.6Million worldwide. Both are a fraction of Ne Zha 2’s total, which has grossed more than every Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film aside from Avengers: Endgame, Avengers: Infinity War, and Spider-man: No Way Home.
The critical response was mixed for the 35th MCU movie, with NME’s 2-star review saying “The Avengers’ new leader does a decent job – but there’s no saving this bland blockbuster (or the MCU)”.