United News of Bangladesh

Fantasy animation movie ‘Ne Zha 2,’ released on January 29, 2025, is running successfully at the worldwide box office. It now fends off fresh competition from the live-action fantasy comedy ‘A Minecraft Movie,’ which debuted on April 4 this year. Their cinematic face-off brings new energy to global screens. Let’s dive into how a mythical hero from the East keeps building victories over a pixel-powered quest from the West. Ne Zha Universe at a Glance The ‘Ne Zha’ universe, delicately woven from ancient Chinese mythology, is brought vividly to life by writer-director Jiaozi (Yang Yu). The saga began with ‘Ne Zha’ (2019), a groundbreaking fantasy animation inspired by Xu Zhonglin’s 16th-century epic ‘Investiture of the Gods’. It introduced a fiery yet misunderstood boy born from a spirit bead, destined to battle evil while carrying the weight of society’s fear and rejection. Amidst chaos and heroism, Ne Zha’s clash with Ao Bing ended in sacrifice, though their souls endured. In the direct sequel, ‘Ne Zha 2: The Devil Boy Churns the Sea’, the narrative rises again, this time with Taiyi Zhenren’s mystical plan. The deity aims to restore the two fallen warriors using the sacred seven-coloured lotus. Read more: South Indian Films Releasing in May 2025: Must-watch Lineup Ne Zha 2’s Journey From Mainland China to Hollywood With a production budget soaring to 600 million yuan, 'Ne Zha 2' stands as a creative milestone and China’s most expensive animated film to date. The figure is more than USD 80 million, based on an exchange rate of 1 Chinese Yuan = USD 0.14. Within just three days of its domestic release, the film surged past 1.1 billion yuan (USD 150.95 million). With the figure, it gets the fastest title ever to cross the 1-billion threshold in the Chinese movie industry. By its eighth day, it had already eclipsed 5 billion yuan (USD 686.15 million), overtaking the lifetime total of its predecessor. Meanwhile, it solidifies its place as the highest-grossing animated feature in mainland China. As of February 8, 2025, ‘Ne Zha 2’ had amassed over 7.2 billion yuan (USD 988 million), earning the historic title of the top-grossing Chinese film of all time. In doing so, it became the first non-Hollywood production to break the 7-billion mark globally. It even outperformed the single-territory box office record of the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Read more: Kesari Chapter 2 Review: Akshay Kumar Fronts a Bold Patriotic Courtroom Saga Within weeks, ‘Ne Zha 2’ outpaced the global lifetime earnings of Inside Out 2 (2024), becoming the highest-earning animated film in history. The fantasy epic crossed the USD 2 billion mark on March 9, becoming only the seventh film in history to achieve this feat. It stands as the first animated feature from outside the United States to reach that level. Remarkably, it’s also the first non-English-language animation to do so and only the second ever not produced by Disney. Its overseas debut at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles sold out instantly, with the film pulling in USD 7.2 million on its U.S. opening weekend. The English dub, now rolling out across theatres in Australia and the United States, promises to reignite its momentum. Ne Zha 2 vs. A Minecraft Movie Helmed by Jared Hess, 'A Minecraft Movie' opened strong in China, delivering the most impressive debut in the country this year. Between April 4 and 6, the Legendary and Warner Bros.-backed live-action fantasy comedy collected 105.5 million yuan (USD 14.7 million). While this performance marked a domestic triumph, it wasn’t enough to challenge ‘Ne Zha 2’ on the international stage. Read more: Top Pakistani Dramas in 2025 Showcasing Strong Female Leads In its tenth weekend, ‘Ne Zha 2’ continued its financial ascent with another USD 10 million, raising its global haul to USD 2.11 billion. The Cococartoon-produced mythological animation remains the top-grossing film of 2025 by a comfortable margin. With support from premium screening formats like IMAX, its momentum shows few signs of slowing, even in the face of new releases. On the contrary, the Jason Momoa and Jack Black-starrer film finished its opening weekend with USD 162.8 million in domestic earnings and USD 313 million worldwide. Its timing, arriving over two months later, meant it faced a global market already captivated by the Chinese fantasy epic. As of now, ‘Ne Zha 2’ leads the box office with USD 2.15 billion, while ‘A Minecraft Movie’ stands at USD 729.2 million. Read more: Popular Indian Universities and Institutes to Learn AR-VR Technology Critical reception reflects this divide: the Mandarin movie holds an IMDb rating of 8.2 and scores 95% from critics and 99% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. In contrast, the Hollywood film sits at 5.9 on IMDb, with a critic score of 48% and an audience score of 86%. This is a respectable showing but far from rivalling the acclaim of its Eastern counterpart. What’s So Special About Ne Zha 2 The mythology-based movie stands as a brilliant fusion of cultural authenticity and universal storytelling. The movie’s themes are confronting institutional prejudice, challenging destiny, and carving one’s own path. All these resonate deeply across cultures, yet are rooted in Chinese traditions and folklore. Read more: May 2025 Bollywood Releases: 10 Most Hyped Hindi Films To Watch The movie’s opening, featuring the Grand Song of the Dong ethnic group, highlights China’s rich cultural heritage. It also pays homage to a music form inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. This gesture serves as a poignant reminder of the nation’s deep-rooted traditions while offering a window into its diversity. Behind The Screen The film’s graphics, meticulously crafted under the expert direction of Shi Chaoqun. It captures the essence of Chinese landscapes and mythological realms with striking precision. The battle sequences are nothing short of a visual masterpiece, blending cultural symbols and folklore. The timeless action sequences are beautifully rendered in the visuals. They showcase the artistry of Chinese animation, brought to life by over 4,000 professionals from 138 studios across five years. Read more: May 2025 Amazon Prime Video Originals Streaming Lineup: Movies, Series, Shows The production credit goes to Liu Wenzhang and Wang Jing. Lending the voices are Lu Yanting, Han Mo, Lu Qi, Zhang Jiaming, Wang Deshun, and Zhuo Yongxi. Verdict The ongoing box-office clash between ‘Ne Zha 2’ and ‘A Minecraft Movie’ continues to captivate audiences worldwide. While the Hollywood film had a strong debut, the Mandarin one remains a powerful force, steadily building global dominance. Whether the live-action adventure can sustain its momentum or if the animated epic will reclaim its crown is yet to be determined. What’s certain is that this cinematic rivalry is poised to leave lasting marks on the box office landscape. Read more: 10 Best Films, Documentaries on Palestine That Everyone Should Watch

‘Black Adam,’ one of the most anticipated Hollywood movies in 2022 starring popular actor Dwayne Johnson, hit US theatres on Friday (October 21, 2022) as well as Star Cineplex in Bangladesh. The superhero movie is a spin-off of Shazam! (2019), the 11th movie in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), and the first movie in the franchise's Phase One, based on the same-named DC Comics character. A ‘Shazam!’ spin-off produced by Warner Brothers and New Line Cinema, ‘Brack Adam’ first debuted in DC Comics in the 1940s as a villain; however, in 2000, it was re-introduced as an anti-hero. Read Star Cineplex's Awesome Autumn gives moviegoers chance to win trip to Maldives. The character of Black Adam, portrayed by wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, possessed divine abilities from the Egyptian gods. After being freed from the earth for approximately five thousand years, he returned to the modern world to take part in an exciting conflict over justice and retaliation, crossing the path with the Justice Society of America (JAS). Dwayne Johnson, the main draw as the title character, is appearing in a DC Comics movie for the first time with this film. In addition to this, Pierce Brosnan, the former James Bond actor, is also playing a special character in the film. Moviegoers and DCEU fans in Bangladesh have been eagerly waiting to see the powerful anti-hero in the theatres. Marking the release, Star Cineplex arranged a gala press premiere on Thursday (October 20, 2022) night at its SKS Tower branch in the capital which was joined by journalists from different media outlets alongside popular celebrities and social media influencers. Read New Releases: Top 10 South Indian Movies to Watch in October 2022 “Previously, it was unthinkable for moviegoers in our country to watch the most eagerly awaited Hollywood productions on the day of their international premiere. Star Cineplex brought that opportunity to its fans and now we are premiering the biggest Hollywood films on the same day of their global releases, and we will continue this trend for our moviegoers,” Star Cineplex parent company ShowMotion Limited Chairman Mahboob Rahman Ruhel said at the event. He also informed that the Cineplex is bringing two of the next most-anticipated Hollywood films in the upcoming months - the celebrated Marvel Comics superhero ‘Black Panther’ sequel ‘Wakanda Forever’ in November, and ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ in December, the second installation of the groundbreaking American epic science-fiction film ‘Avatar’ (2009), directed by James Cameron. Star Cineplex is now showing the film ‘Black Adam’ across all of its five branches in the capital - Bashundhara City in Panthapath, Shimanto Shambhar in Dhanmondi, Sony Square in Mirpur, SKS Tower, Mohakhali and Bangabandhu Military Museum in Bijoy Sarani. Read Star Cineplex's Awesome Autumn gives moviegoers chance to win trip to Maldives.

Hollywood superstar Paul Walker’s latest movie "Brick Mansions” is available dubbed in Bangla for viewers to watch only on Bongo, the largest Bangladeshi streaming platform.