The animated film Ne Zha 2 has broken yet another record this week, continuing its streak of dominating the highest-grossing charts. Ne Zha 2 serves as a sequel to the 2019 animated movie Ne Zha, and it follows the characters Ne Zha and Ao Bing fighting to save their community and return to their physical bodies by Ne Zha 2‘s ending. The movie boasts impressive animation and an entertaining story, but what truly brought it attention was when Ne Zha 2 surpᴀssed Inside Out 2 as the highest-grossing animated film ever.

Now, only a month and a half after its initial release, Ne Zha 2 has surpᴀssed the $2 billion mark, making it one of only seven movies to ever do so. Ne Zha 2 was released to coincide with Chinese New Year and the majority of the profits have come from Chinese audiences, but the movie has seen increasing popularity with broader audiences who are curious about its success. Since the movie is still in theaters, its profits will continue to grow, but there is one franchise that has already lost its record thanks to Ne Zha 2‘s current success.

Ne Zha 2 Officially Knocked The Harry Potter Franchise Out Of The All-Time Box Office Top 20

Ne Zha 2 Far Surpᴀsses Even The Highest-Grossing Harry Potter Movie

Sadly, the beloved Harry Potter franchise has been knocked out of the top 20 highest-grossing films of all time thanks to Ne Zha 2‘s success. Having now grossed over $2 billion and with ticket sales still coming in, Ne Zha 2 is currently the sixth highest-grossing movie of all time, having recently surpᴀssed Avengers: Infinity War. It also looks entirely possible for Ne Zha 2 to enter the top five, as its current gross is $2.062 billion, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, in fifth place, has grossed $2.068 billion.

In contrast, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 has grossed $1.342 billion since its release in 2011. There is already a mᴀssive difference between the two and Harry Potter has been moving down the list for some time, but Ne Zha 2‘s success marks its actual exit from the top 20 list. Currently, without the update to show Ne Zha 2‘s advances, Box Office Mojo shows Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 at 20 exactly, meaning it would move down to 21 with an update.

While the success of Ne Zha 2 and other recent movies has moved the Harry Potter franchise out of the top 20 highest-grossing individual films, the Wizarding World franchise as a whole is still one of the highest-grossing film series of all time. According to The Numbers, the Harry Potter series ranks fourth overall at the worldwide box office with a gross of over $9.5 billion. It is surpᴀssed only by the MCU, Spider-Man, and Star Wars franchises.

Harry Potter Had At Least One Of The 20 Highest Grossing Movies At The Box Office Since 2001

The Harry Potter Franchise Has Had At Least One Movie In The Top 20 For 24 Years

Ever since the release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in 2001, there has been a Harry Potter film in the highest-grossing charts. In fact, at the time of its release, the first Harry Potter movie became the highest-grossing film of the year and the second highest-grossing film of all time, behind тιтanic. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner and Azkaban each grossed less than the first film but were incredibly successful, becoming the second highest-grossing films of their respective years.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire once again ranked as the highest-grossing film of its year, 2005, and Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince each came in second in their years. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 came in third overall in 2010, and placed 10th on the top 20 list, joining the first installment. However, as blockbuster movies have begun to make increasingly more money in the years since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 was released, it has been the only film from the series to maintain its place in the top 20.

Harry Potter Has No Upcoming Opportunities To Re-Enter The Box Office Top 20

The Series Does Not Seem Likely To Regain Its Spot

With no upcoming Harry Potter movies on the horizon, the franchise has no opportunities to reenter the box office top 20. The original series and the Fantastic Beasts prequels are all over now, but they still have quite a legacy, so the series’ removal from the top 20 is not too disappointing. Additionally, the upcoming Harry Potter reboot has shifted to a TV format, so while viewers may not get another big screen release for the Harry Potter series, the characters’ stories are not over yet.

Ultimately, it makes complete sense that the Harry Potter movies would not stay in the box office top 20 forever, since audiences are naturally interested in seeing new things. Though it may be disappointing to some fans to see their favorite movies be surpᴀssed, it also shows that new films can be just as promising. Especially in the case of Ne Zha 2, the movie’s box office success is both very impressive on its own and a reminder for all film fans to potentially broaden their interests to include the many great movies released in other countries and languages.

Sources: Box Office Mojo, The Numbers