Inside Out 2 has officially lost its spot as the highest-grossing animated film of all time. The Pixar sequel stunned audiences and critics alike in theaters last year when it became the highest-grossing film of 2024, making just under $1.7 billion worldwide. This pᴀssed the original’s total by a fair margin and was a higher gross than other extremely successful animated works like Minions, Frozen, Frozen II, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

Per Reuters, Inside Out 2 has officially been dethroned by Ne Zha 2. At the time of writing, the 2025 film grossed a total box office of 12.3 billion yuan, which is the equivalent of $1.69 billion. This barely pᴀsses Inside Out 2‘s $1.68 billion. The total has also made it the eighth-highest-grossing film of all time.

What This Means For Ne Zha 2

The Film Has Set Multiple Records

Ne Zha 2 becoming the new record holder represents the shortest turnaround in a new film to usurp the previous highest-grossing animated film of all time. Before Inside Out 2 broke the record in 2024, Disney’s Frozen II was the highest-grossing animated film of all time for nearly five years. Even before that, Frozen held onto that position for six years before being overtaken by its own sequel. Finding Nemo had only clung onto it for a short time before being beaten by Shrek 2, but even the record was held for a year.

Ne Zha 2‘s success is impressive beyond just the highest-grossing animated film. It was the first movie of 2025 to make over $1 billion, a milestone that is much more typically accomplished during summer. It is also China’s highest-grossing movie of all time and now by a fair margin. Furthermore, it holds the record for the biggest single-market gross, as the vast majority of its ticket sales have come from China. It is also the only movie in the top 20 all-time box office list whose original language is not English.

Our Take On Ne Zha 2’s Box Office Record

Ne Zha 2 Could Become The Highest-Grossing Movie Of 2025

Ne Zha 2‘s box office success is unprecedented, especially given its lack of commitment to a multi-national rollout. The first Ne Zha film had a significant profit, but its $726.2 million gross pales in comparison to its sequel. Its success is great news for the Chinese market, which is in a period of recovery. Based on its current box office sum, Ne Zha 2 has a decent chance of becoming the highest-grossing film at the box office in 2025, though some highly anticipated releases like Avatar: Fire and Ash are coming later on in the year.

Source: Reuters