Mainland blockbuster Ne Zha 2 to hit Hong Kong, Macau screens on Saturday

Mainland Chinese box-office smash Ne Zha 2 will hit Hong Kong cinema screens on Saturday following a delay caused by a dispute among distributors, with some shopping centres rolling out perks to attract visitors.

The Hong Kong premiere of Ne Zha 2 was held at CineArt House in Causeway Bay on Tuesday night and was attended by Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui and Peter Lam Kin-ngok, whose return as Tourism Board chairman was announced on Wednesday morning.

Lam’s Lai Sun Development is the parent company of filmmaker Media Asia Entertainment Group.

The animated film, a fantasy adventure based on Chinese mythology, is a sequel to the first Ne Zha movie released in 2019. It has amassed box-office receipts of 12.3 billion yuan worldwide, including on the mainland, making it the highest grossing animated film globally, surpassing Pixar’s Inside Out 2.

To boost business amid a weaker economy, developer Sun Hung Kai Properties will roll out promotions at its Apm shopping centre in Kwun Tong and Tai Po Mega Mall by giving away free two tickets to Ne Zha 2 to consumers who spend at least HK$1,000.

Mainland media reported that the film’s release in the city and Macau on Saturday was arranged “under the guidance of the China Film Administration, and with the strong coordination of the liaison office of the central government in Hong Kong and relevant departments of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government”.