'Baxian!' Tops 20 Billion Yuan, Becoming the Third Highest-Grossing Chinese Animated Film

The animated film Eight Immortals! has surpassed 20 billion yuan at the box office. Hongxing News confirmed the figure on October 2, placing the film as the third highest-grossing Chinese animated production in history, according to official tallies. Only Ne Zha: Birth of the Demon Child and its sequel, Ne Zha 2, remain ahead.

The milestone is significant for Chengdu's production ecosystem. The film comes from Dongfang Menggongchang, based in the Tianfu Changdao creative park—the same space that produced the Ne Zha franchise. The complex now houses 70 companies in the digital and creative sector, including Qianniao Donghua, Mojing Tianhe, and Aier Pingfang.

A District Covering the Entire Production Chain

The economic story goes beyond box office numbers. Chengdu's high-tech district has spent years building a network that spans from IP creation to international distribution. Tencent develops Honor of Kings there, which surpassed 139 million daily active users in China in 2025 and generated over $2 billion in revenue. In the first quarter of 2026, the game posted its best revenue figures of its entire lifecycle.

Jinshan Shiyou, also based in the area, has placed responsibility for Angry Birds' return to the Chinese market after 17 years of absence on Chengdu. Distribution vice president Liu Yi put it bluntly: future social and party game projects will be developed in this city.

"He is a mortal, a mortal who becomes an immortal, and he must represent mortals," director Mou Zhengyang said about the premise of Eight Immortals!.

The quote also describes the district's logic. It doesn't rely on pre-existing resources, but on a chain connecting original creation, technical development, and global expansion. The result is a catalog ranging from family animation to long-running service games.

The Film's International Expansion

Eight Immortals! began its journey outside China in mid-August. It premiered in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and North America, with an English title that avoids a literal translation: All Wishes Come True. In its opening weekend in the United States, it grossed $302,000 across roughly 200 theaters, the third-best opening of the year for a Mandarin-language film.

The district's international presence isn't limited to film. At LA's Worldcon, the movie, the donghua Zhe Tian, and Honor of Kings were showcased. At gamescom in Cologne, studio Rishi Bianyuan won the Most Epic Game award for Annihilation Tide. And on September 10, Honor of Kings: Chess launched on all platforms with over 70 million pre-registrations.

The district's next major film project already has an approximate date. Zhao Zilong began production in January and is targeting summer 2027. A theatrical version of Zhe Tian is also in the works, after its platform film accumulated nearly 300 million views in four days during April.

The box office success of Eight Immortals! confirms that Chengdu's model doesn't depend on a single studio or franchise. It's a rotating list of products sharing infrastructure, talent, and release schedules. We'll have to see which of those titles is next to cross the 20 billion yuan threshold and whether the international market responds with the same strength as the domestic one.

What do you think about Chengdu's growing influence in Chinese animation? Share your thoughts in the comments.