"Nezha 2" has exceeded 14.8 billion yuan in global box office

On the evening of March 8, according to the data from the Lighthouse Professional Edition, the global box office (including pre-sales and overseas) of "Nezha: The Devil Child's Trouble" exceeded 14.8 billion yuan, which is less than 100 million yuan from the world's sixth-ranked "Avengers 3".

The movie "Nezha: The Devil Child's Trouble" (hereinafter referred to as "Nezha 2") has been released for more than a month, and the topics are constantly being discussed at the moment of record-breaking. "Zha'er" took the Wind and Hot Wheels to catch the "wealthy fortune" of the 10 billion box office, and the audience was enthusiastic and helped the whole industry work together to "support". As of press time, "Nezha 2" has been released for 38 days, with a cumulative box office of over 14.6 billion yuan, ranking seventh in the global film history box office list. In addition, "Nezha 2" will be extended to March 30, with AI predicting a total box office of 14.858 billion yuan. Behind the "10 billion box office", how should the "huge sums" be divided? Recently, Nandu reporters have spoken to many industry insiders to reveal how a movie should be divided into the box office.

1、How a movie goes from preparation to release

When the shutter rings, gold is ten thousand taels?

To understand how a movie is divided, you first need to understand the entire process from preparation to release of a movie. Nandu reporters sorted out that according to the entire process of shooting live-action movies, they can be roughly divided into four key stages: pre-preparation, shooting stage, post-production, distribution and promotion.

Preparation phaseIncluding story development, fundraising and budgeting, and team formation. The division of labor unions such as producers, screenwriters, directors, photographers, editors, music producers, art teams, etc. sign contracts at this stage to clarify their respective job responsibilities and time arrangements. The story background and rich character settings of the animated movie "Nezha 2" were also carefully polished at this stage.

At this stage of live-action movies, the producer or director will start casting and audition based on the needs of the script, and finally determine who will play the role. In addition, scene design and landscape survey, shooting planning and scripting, technical testing and rehearsal will also be carried out simultaneously to make full preparations for the next shooting stage.

Filming stageIt is the process of converting the results of the preparatory stage into images, including four major sections: shooting preparation, on-site shooting, surveillance adjustment and on-site management. During the shooting process, each department will confirm the equipment and props to ensure the shooting is smooth. The director will direct the actors to perform on the spot, control the rhythm of the scene, check the shooting effect through the monitor, and adjust the performance or technical parameters as needed; the photographer is responsible for adjusting the lens and lighting to ensure the quality of the picture; the sound recorder needs to capture clear dialogue and ambient sounds, etc.

During live shooting, each shot will usually take a few more shots for later selection and editing. At this stage, the work tasks of producers or associate directors are the most arduous. They need to coordinate the work of various departments to solve problems that arise on the spot to ensure the progress of the shooting.

When it comes to the most "money-burning" post-production stage, it is the process of sorting, editing and processing the captured materials. This includes editing, sound production, visual effects, color tuning, and subtitles and ending production. The editor needs to organize the captured material into a rough cut version and communicate repeatedly with the director until the final cut is formed. In terms of sound production, sound effects, mixing and other work also needs to be completed in this stage.

In terms of visual effects, the special effects team needs to add CGI, green screen synthesis and other effects to the video to make the picture more realistic and shocking. Color adjustment is made by the colorist tone, contrast and brightness of the picture to ensure visual unity and emotional expression. The production of subtitles and endings will not be completed until the end of the day.

The last very critical stage:Distribution and promotion. This stage includes publicity plans, participation in film festivals, distribution channels, premiere and release and subsequent operations. The video trailers, posters, and behind-the-scenes videos that the audience sees on major platforms are all completed in advance at this stage. At the same time, some production teams will also choose to sign up for domestic and foreign film festivals to obtain the evaluation and exposure of the first batch of movies to watch.

In terms of distribution channels, it is necessary to cooperate with cinema publishers to arrange appropriate release schedules. After the film is scheduled, the premiere will be arranged in advance, and the media or audience will be invited to watch it in advance. After the reputation fermentation, major theaters will be officially released. In subsequent operations, market analysis will be conducted through box office performance and audience feedback, and derivatives will be developed at the same time.

So,What are the different modes of animation movie production?Zhong Ding, director of the movie "Falling in the World", associate professor and master's supervisor at Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, told reporters from Nandu that animated films are usually divided into two-dimensional and three-dimensional production modes.

He mentioned that three-dimensional animation is the current mainstream international model. It is highly industrialized, and the entire process and technology are already very mature and scientific. Currently, 80% of the world's animation movies, including domestic animation movies, adopt the three-dimensional animation mode. Although two-dimensional animation or traditional hand-drawn animation is already paperless, the process basically follows the traditional frame-by-frame drawing method, which also brings some difficulty in creation or industrialization.

Zhong Ding pointed out that ordinary viewers may think that the production of three-dimensional animations will cost more money, while the production cost of two-dimensional animations will be lower. But in fact, to achieve more artistic two-dimensional animation effects, it also requires relatively high animation costs. Because two-dimensional animation is a project with highly concentrated artistic talents, it also has a labor-intensive creative model.

"Of course, the artistic nature of two-dimensional animation is also difficult to match. The characteristics of hand-drawn animation shown by two-dimensional animation are difficult to achieve with conventional and industrial models at present, so the two are actually two different styles. In terms of execution, three-dimensional animation is more stable and scientific, which is also a current situation. We also hope to see more diverse animation forms appear in the future, which is also a manifestation of the maturity of the market." Zhong Ding said.

2、How to share the accounts with the "10 billion yuan"?

"In fact, there is no standard answer"

After a movie is released, the main creative team of the film will do their best to expose the film in large quantities to help the box office continue to rise. Many viewers found in the long production list of "Nezha 2" that there were more than 130 Chinese animation companies appearing. Nandu reporters also learned that compared with the previous work "Nezha 1", there were even more than 4,000 staff members participating in the animation in "Nezha 2". Many netizens also joked, "The Nezha project has become an 'Olympic Village'." In this regard, viewers and netizens also began to wonder how this "huge sum" would be shared after the "10 billion subsidy" was received?

As early as February 5, Light Media issued an announcement stating that the film "Nezha: The Devil Child's Trouble" produced and released by the company and its subsidiaries has been released on January 29, 2025.As of February 4, the cumulative box office revenue was approximately RMB 4.84 billion, exceeding 50% of the company's audited consolidated financial statement operating income in the latest fiscal year. The company's operating income range from the video is about RMB 950 million to RMB 1.01 billion. The film is being screened, and the final box office revenue is subject to the settlement statement officially confirmed by cinema chains in mainland China.At the same time, the copyright sales revenue of the video in mainland China and the distribution revenue in overseas regions have not yet been settled. There may be differences in operating income such as box office revenue and the actual recognizable operating income of the company.

According to the video released by self-media blogger Xiao Lin, according to the time of the announcement, Light Media's revenue is about 1 billion yuan. But this 1 billion yuan is the revenue of Light's overall parent company, including the revenue it has as the producer and issuer. If calculated based on the rough proportion of the industry, the producer and the issuer can probably get 1.73 billion yuan. And in it,The entire film production company led by Director Dumpling can get about 15%, which is not exclusive to Director Dumpling.. At the same time, she also mentioned in the video that box office numbers are only pure box office revenue for the movie. "Currently, 'Nezha' is already a very valuable big IP, and there may be greater potential in the future to promote revenue generation in stocks, IP peripherals, copyrights and other aspects."

Nandu reporters learned that in the film industry, there is a professional term for how to divide the accounts: "distribute the accounts box office", which meansThe total box office figures are allocated, of which 5% of the total box office needs to be paid first to the special fund office, 3.3% needs to be paid to the tax department, and there is also an agency fee of 1% to 3%. The remaining 91.7% is the box office that can be divided into the film crew and the cinema.According to the public account sharing data published in "Nezha 2", the film's account share box office was 13.016 billion yuan, with film crew accounting for 39.36%, theaters accounting for 52.27%, and others accounting for 8.37%.

Regarding the topic of movie box office sharing, Zhong Ding told reporters from Nandu that normally, the income of a movie can eventually be earned into the director's personal account is not a fixed percentage. This is both a trade secret and because the model of each project is different. Some projects are simple directorial expenses, some projects are directorial expenses plus additional share, and some projects are also one of the producers and investors. He admitted,To be honest, it is quite complicated, but there is actually no standard answer.。”

Shen Jianguo, who has been engaged in film distribution and screening for a long time and is currently the editor-in-chief of Ive Film and Television Media, analyzed the general accounting of the box office to Nandu reporters. He said that the box office split is divided into theaters and film splits, with the split ratio roughly around 55:45, and there may be slight differences between different films. As a theater company, it is actually a theater and a theater chain, and the theater's share is generally 40%-50% of the box office. As a producer, there is an estimate in the industry that revenue will account for about one-third of the box office. That is to say,If you want to pay for a movie, the box office will be at least three times the production cost.。

Shen Jianguo also mentioned that the settlement of film box office is carried out by the National Film Specialized Office through a nationwide computer ticketing system, and there is no channel for settlement for film parties or theaters. When viewers purchase tickets on the ticket purchase app or offline theaters, the ticket income is paid through the bank and is not directly used as the income of the theater. He further pointed out that the computer ticketing system generates data instantly, but will divide the theater into and return it to the theater with different effects.The ticketing systems and third-party ticketing platforms of each theater must be connected with the special fund office system. Although different data platforms may have a little error due to time and interface issues, the data released by the National Film Administration shall prevail.

A theater manager also revealed to Nandu reporters that the theater chain needs to sign an agreement with the theater chain before the film is released. According to her, in addition to 43% of the film company, the possible distribution base of each cinema will also be different. She said bluntly that after the release of "Nezha 2", "most cinemas are expected to be profitable in February." But she also said that if every cinema is making a profit, in fact, everyone's revenue situation will be similar. "The cake is so big, everyone has almost finished it. As for my cinema alone, the income from "Nezha 2" is still far from reaching its peak in the past."

Shen Jianguo continued to add to Nandu reporters that in terms of specific theater income, operating costs such as property rent, employee salary, water and electricity, equipment depreciation, etc. must be deducted. In terms of property rental, the industry average has dropped from 20% or even 30% of box office revenue before to about 10% (the high may be 15% and the low may be less than 10%).Based on the recent box office level, it should be said that every theater is profitable.。”

"But if the daily box office of the country is only more than 20 million yuan during the market downturn, it will be a big loss for theaters. After the release of "Nezha 2", the bosses or theater owners of several film investment companies around me all agreed that the popularity of this year's Spring Festival has continued to this day, and it can be said that the previous losses have been made up. If the market popularity continues next, the life of theaters will be relatively easier." Shen Jianguo said.

3、After breaking records for a month, what will happen to the market next?

"Nezha 2" has some contingency"

As of press time, "Nezha 2" has been released for 38 days, with a cumulative domestic box office exceeding 14.4 billion yuan, attracting more than 300 million people to watch the movie, and also earning 2.01 billion yuan of global box office. "Nezha 2" took only more than a month to fully demonstrate the strong strength of China's animation film industry. In addition, "Nezha 2" announced the extension of the key and will be screened until March 30. I believe that all box office records will continue to be broken.

Zhong Ding told Nandu reporters that "Nezha 2" broke records repeatedly at the beginning of this year is undoubtedly an exciting and good thing. As a Chinese animation, "Nezha 2" won the box office first in the Spring Festival, Chinese film history, and animation film history. This rising steadily has undoubtedly given the Chinese animation and Chinese film market a shot of the heart.

He further pointed out that the popularity of "Nezha 2" is worthy of pride and excitement, but we should also see thatThe success of "Nezha 2" hasA certain accident. "Nezha 2 has received extremely high attention during the Spring Festival, and it was launched on the basis of the previous work's box office record of 5 billion yuan, and the audience has high expectations for it. In addition, several other movies in the Spring Festival period did not fully meet the audience's expectations, so the head effect of "Nezha 2" is particularly significant, and the enthusiasm of the audience is also extremely high." In addition, Zhong Ding also emphasized that the success of "Nezha 2" is not limited to the movie itself, it has become a cultural phenomenon at present, driving the entire society to discuss and curiosity about related topics, and mobilizing the audience's enthusiasm for watching movies to the greatest extent.

In Shen Jianguo's view, the popularity of "Nezha 2" has made many industry insiders full of confidence in the next film market. He pointed out that the total box office of national movies in the first two months of this year has reached more than 50% of the box office in 2024, which has also increased the industry's expectations for this year's market. According to industry estimates, the total domestic box office this year is expected to reach 50 billion to 60 billion yuan.

In terms of film supply, Shen Jianguo said that since last year, the number of films has basically returned to its previous level, but there is still a big gap between the quality of the film and the audience's expectations."The theater still makes a living by relying on films." Although the quality of the film is a soft indicator and the audience's subjective evaluation of the quality of the film is also different, everyone is unanimously sure that high-quality films can achieve better market performance."

Shen Jianguo also observed that the audience group of "Nezha 2" has far exceeded the usual range of regular customers in theaters, and many viewers who rarely enter the theaters also entered the theater because of this movie. A reporter from Nandu learned from the data platform that the gender proportion of watching "Nezha 2" is: 35.2% male and 64.8% female, of which the highest value of users aged 20 to 24 reached 21.7%, and the highest value of users over 40 reached 20.6%.

In Shen Jianguo's view, although these viewers may not pay much attention to the movie, their viewing experience and evaluation are equally important. He further analyzed,Through "Nezha 2", the audience's enthusiasm for watching movies has returned to the level of a few years ago, which is undoubtedly a positive signal for the film market.

From the perspective of the creator, Zhong Ding expressed his hope that "Nezha 2" can bring confidence to the market and animated films. He is cautious and optimistic about the future development trend of domestic animated films. "What will the market develop in the future? Is it too concentrated in the head or can bloom all the flowers and attract diverse audiences to enter the cinema? It also depends on the subsequent market development." He also mentioned that the success of "Nezha 2" has made the entire industry and society pay attention to Chinese animation, and capital has begun to pay attention to the model of animated films.

"Animation movies are considered a relatively heavy animation type in the domestic film field, but this time "Nezha 2" broke the ceiling, proving that the charm of animation and animated movies can completely compete with live-action movies. With relatively concentrated resources, after eliminating other human factors such as actors, animation may become a more favored model for future capital. Of course, we still need to watch it." Zhong Ding said.