Recently, while the mainland-produced animated film “Ne Zha’s Demon Child Stirring Up the Sea” (referred to as “Ne Zha 2”) is gaining immense popularity, audiences are once again turning their attention to the 2023 release “I Am Ne Zha 2: The Hero Returns,” sparking a new round of discussions and criticisms.
The film “Ne Zha 2” has been a huge success. As of noon on February 15th, the global box office has exceeded 11 billion yuan (RMB). However, most feedback from netizens is negative, with comments like “The plot is dragging, can’t bear to watch after 30 minutes.”
Some netizens also expressed that the nationwide viewing of the film is like a publicity campaign similar to “deepseek.”
“Ne Zha’s Demon Child Descends to the World” was released in 2019.
“I Am Ne Zha 2: The Hero Returns” was released on September 30, 2023, and became a hot topic that year.
Due to criticisms of its promotion strategies such as riding on popularity, low-quality production, and misinformation during its release, and now, with the success of “Ne Zha 2” at the box office, netizens have brought up discussions about it again.
When “I Am Ne Zha 2: The Hero Returns” was released, it was mistaken by moviegoers as a sequel to “Ne Zha’s Demon Child Descends to the World,” and it earned 17.75 million yuan in just one box office window.
The film has a rating of 2.5 on Douban by more than 6,300 people. Viewers commented that “I Am Ne Zha 2: The Hero Returns” has rough modeling, stiff animation, and the title, character designs, and promotional posters are all aiming to resemble “Ne Zha’s Demon Child Descends to the World,” calling it a “deceptive film.”
In related film reviews and bullet comments, many netizens stated that they were misled by the trailer and posters of the movie, thinking it was a sequel to “Ne Zha’s Demon Child Descends to the World” when entering the cinema. Some critics believe that the intention of “I Am Ne Zha” to cash in on the popularity is evident.
Previously, “People’s Entertainment” once wrote that the film was “roughly made with confusing plot logic,” and “the poster style is highly imitative, the character design is highly similar, creating a huge misinformation by selling one and getting another.”
Following the trend of major box office hits is not uncommon in the film industry. After the success of “Ghost Blows Out the Light: Finding the Dragon Strategy,” there was “Ghost Blows Out the Light: Finding the Dragon Strategy 2,” and after the popularity of “Detective Chinatown,” there came “Detective Chinatown Murder Case” following closely. Behind the mimicking trend lies a rush for “quick money” (earning low-quality and irresponsible money) by hastily imitating and cashing in on the trend.
This controversial work was selected by netizens as the most disappointing animated film in the “Golden Broom” award in 2023.
Recently, with the success of “Ne Zha 2,” audiences are once again looking at “I Am Ne Zha 2: The Hero Returns,” sparking a new round of discussions and criticisms. In response to this, the staff of Suzhou Zhijie Film Co., Ltd., the film’s production company, stated to the media, “The online criticisms do not align with us, there is no information to disclose, and it is not convenient to announce sequel plans.” This response has stirred further dissatisfaction and doubts among netizens.
Such works that exploit misinformation and imitate popular IPs are not uncommon in the film and television industry. Industry insiders point out that while such behavior may yield certain box office revenue in the short term, it damages audience trust and is detrimental to the healthy development of the industry.
A film and television practitioner from Wuhan, Mr. Fang, stated that there are many works that capitalize on imitation and trend-following to make quick money, often using similar titles and promotional posters, similar core characters but with entirely different stories and plots. “There may be some similar elements, hovering between inspired and not inspired by, which are difficult to prevent and eliminate. Suing them would only boost their exposure, and there’s no guarantee of success.”
Mr. Fang explained that these low-cost productions, whether distributed online or shown in theaters during a period of high popularity, can attract a wave of audiences, and by the time people realize it, they may have already made profits.
Mr. Fang believes that audience preferences are one of the standards for evaluating films, and even in imitative works, there are efforts made to improve quality. They should receive corresponding box office results, “but those seeking quick gains, deceiving one after another, getting scolded and trending, will face problems in review and acceptance in the future.”