Screentime

China’s Biggest Blockbuster Has the Film Industry Depressed

Ne Zha 2 is the most successful movie in Chinese history. So why is its producer so worried?

People wait as a screen displays a scene from the Ne Zha 2 animated film at a movie theatre in Beijing on February 16, 2025. 

Photographer: PEDRO PARDO/AFP

Good evening from the North Fork of Long Island. I am going to be on the East Coast for most of July and hope to see some of you in New York City (or by the beach). This newsletter will likely be off next week while I stuff my face with seafood and fresh berries.

I am handing this week’s edition over to my colleague Sohee Kim, who has a startling report on the biggest movie of the year. (You can reach her at skim847@bloomberg.net.)