As 2025 draws to a close, the year was filled with major Hollywood sequels. Films like Avatar 3, Jurassic World: Rebirth, and Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning were widely expected to dominate the box office. However, a surprising turn of events saw an animation film, not from Hollywood, surpass all of them.

Despite generating limited initial excitement, Ne Zha 2, the follow-up to the 2019 Chinese animation hit Ne Zha, emerged as 2025’s highest-grossing movie. Produced with a budget of approximately ₹700 crores, the film garnered an impressive $2.2 billion worldwide. This figure translates to roughly 18-19K crores in Indian rupees.

The success of Ne Zha 2 makes one point clear: Hollywood no longer holds exclusive control over global record-breaking films. This Chinese animation performed exceptionally well in China, across Asia, and in various other international territories. Interestingly, the next slots on the box office chart are also occupied by animated features, rather than traditional live-action movies.

Following Ne Zha 2, films such as Zootopia with $1.5 billion, Lilo & Stitch at $1 billion, and A Minecraft Movie earning $960 million secured the next three spots. This effectively pushed traditional live-action films out of the top rankings. Meanwhile, Avatar 3, which brought in $760 million, saw a very slow performance and failed to enter the Top 5 by the close of December.

The 2025 box office results ultimately show a strong performance from animated films, with Ne Zha 2 leading the way and other animated titles securing high positions.