Khaberni - The year 2025 was exceptional for global cinema, breaking barriers of expectation with unprecedented phenomena, headed by the Chinese cinematic earthquake, the animated movie "Ne Zha 2" (Ne Zha 2), which became the first non-English speaking film in history to cross the two billion dollar global barrier, surpassing Hollywood films.
The highest-grossing films of the year can be listed as follows:
1- The Chinese film "Ne Zha 2"
The movie "Ne Zha 2" (Ne Zha 2) topped the global box office with revenues reaching 2.2 billion dollars, occupying the highest position in animated film revenues in history, breaking the dominance of American and European works as a non-English speaking work.
"Ne Zha" is one of the heroes of Chinese mythology, first known in the novel "Investiture of the Gods" authored by both Xu Zhonglin and Lu Xixing during the Ming Dynasty ruling.
The film reveals through its scenes a story of maturity, or transformation from childhood to manhood through a stage of intellectual, emotional, and behavioral adolescence, but its events are framed within the wisdom derived from Chinese mythology and traditional values.
Director Yu Yang (Giaozi) decided to turn the legend into a two-part animated film, with the first part "Ne Zha 1" (Ne Zha 1) released in 2019, which was preceded by major success expectations, which proved true, but the surprise was in the second part which exceeded all expectations, proving that it was not just an investment in the success of the first part, but a genuine development in the world of Chinese animation.
2- The film "Zootopia 2"
"Zootopia 2" reclaimed Disney's leadership and achieved tremendous figures in America and Europe, occupying the second position globally with revenues amounting to 1.15 billion US dollars, marking a strong return nine years after the release of the first part in 2016.
The film, directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard, brings back the famous duo, the police rabbit "Judy Hopps" and the sly fox "Nick Wilde", who have become more mature and professional, but in a comedic way resembling an "action duo" similar to movies like "Rush Hour".
Reptiles in "Zootopia 2" are presented as a marginalized group pushed to isolated neighborhoods, despite having developed a central technology for managing the city's climate. However, a powerful cat family named "Linxley" attributes the achievement to themselves and moves the reptiles to what resembles a historic ghetto.
3- The film "Lilo & Stitch"
In the third position came the new version of the classic movie "Lilo & Stitch" with revenues amounting to 1.04 billion US dollars.
The film "Lilo and Stitch", the latest version of the animated movie that bears the same name and was released in 2002.
The film presents a mixture of visual effects and actors, revolving around Lilo (Maya Kieloha), a girl who lives on an island in the ocean with her older sister after the death of their parents.
Lilo wanders freely and safely, yet she is bullied by her dance classmates, continuously getting into successive troubles, unable to truly connect with anyone except her sister Nani (Sydney Agudong), who herself struggles to bear the responsibility of a six-year-old girl without family or financial support, therefore, having to give up her university study dream and convincing the American authorities she deserves custody of Lilo.
The fantastical side of the film begins when it shifts to space, wherein the violent alien creature "606", invented by the scientist Gumba (Zach Galifianakis), escapes to Earth, and the tracking mission is assigned to both Gumba and the alien Blikely (Billy Magnussen).
4- The film "A Minecraft Movie"
The film relied on a huge fan base of the famous game "Minecraft", achieving revenues amounting to 958 million US dollars.
"A Minecraft Movie" is a comedic work that combines fantasy and adventure, suitable for ages from 8 years old, where it premiered simultaneously with Eid al-Fitr, starring Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Emma Myers, Kate McKinnon, Daniel Brooks, and Sebastian Eugene Hansen.
The plot revolves around four individuals struggling in life, each for a different reason, trying to adapt to a world that does not resemble them in any way, from Garrett/ the garbage man (Jason Momoa), who mastered video games in the eighties and still clings to that world despite challenges and the contempt he faces from everyone, continuing with Henry (Sebastian Eugene Hansen), the shy boy inclined towards innovation, reaching his sister Natalie (Emma Myers) and Dawn (Daniel Brooks) each striving to assert herself in her own way in a world that does not tolerate strangers.
5- The film "Jurassic World Rebirth"
The film "Jurassic World: Rebirth" (Jurassic World Rebirth) succeeded in seizing the fifth position globally, achieving revenues amounting to 869 million US dollars.
Released five years after the events of the film Jurassic World: Dominion (2022), an exploration mission ventures into isolated tropical regions to extract DNA from three massive prehistoric creatures in order to achieve a pioneering medical breakthrough.
The work is directed by Gareth Edwards, written by David Koepp and Michael Crichton, and starring Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey.
