Chinese film 'Ba Xian!' tops 2 billion yuan and breaks into the country's animation podium

Chinese animation adds a new box office hit. Ba Xian!, the Sichuan-produced film about the Eight Immortals of Taoism, has grossed over 2.035 billion yuan from its release through October 6. With that figure, it enters the all-time podium of Chinese animation, alongside the two installments of the Ne Zha franchise.

The figure is reported by financial outlet Sina Finance, citing official box office data. The film has also secured a second extension of its theatrical run, so its time in cinemas covers the Chinese National Day holiday bridge, one of the most profitable windows on the calendar.

Reception matches the commercial performance. On Maoyan, the ticketing platform, the film holds a 9.7; on Taopiaopiao, a 9.6; and on Douban, the country's most influential review portal, an 8.2. These numbers place it among the best-received releases of the year within Chinese animated cinema.

From Chengdu to the national top 3

The success of Ba Xian! is not an isolated case. The film is led by producer Chengdu Huameng Chengzhen Film and Television Culture Media, the southwestern subsidiary of Oriental DreamWorks, and comes from the same ecosystem that gave birth to Ne Zha. The three films now occupying the top spots of the Chinese animation box office were all developed at the Tianfu Changdao creative park in Chengdu's high-tech zone.

That park is home to more than seventy digital creation companies. According to Sina Finance, the proximity between studios enables a collaboration they describe as "a coffee away." Local authorities, for their part, have streamlined approval procedures for audiovisual projects with a joint review system that reduces waiting times for production companies.

Public backing is also financial. Sichuan Province reserves an annual budget of 300 million yuan for cultural project subsidies, with a maximum of 20 million per live-action film or series and 10 million for animation, documentary, or platform fiction. On top of that, there is a state tax break: production companies based in the province pay a 15% corporate income tax rate.

"It can be said that without this soil we would not have achieved these results," said Liu Wenzhang, president of Coco Cartoon, the production company behind the Ne Zha franchise, during a tourism forum held in the province on September 28.

A mythology with a local accent

The pull of these films rests on a very deliberate use of regional folklore. In Ne Zha: Birth of the Demon Child, the seal guardians are designed from the bronze masks of Sanxingdui and Jinsha, two archaeological sites in the area. Master Taiyi speaks a Mandarin with a marked Sichuanese accent, a nod that connects with the tradition placing his ascension on Mount Qianyuan, in Jiangyou.

Ba Xian! repeats the formula. The centuries-old tree in front of the Taoist temple is inspired by the roughly 1,900-year-old ginkgo of Mount Qingcheng. The Eight Immortals' dinner is a Sichuan hot pot, and the character Tieguai Li speaks with the same local accent. These are details that, according to the outlet, have helped popularize the province's cultural heritage among younger audiences.

Tourism exploitation of the phenomenon has also made its move. Several Chinese localities have organized themed routes about the Eight Immortals: Chengdu, Yuncheng, and Penglai appear as standout destinations. In Jiangyou, an acrobatics show blends the figure of Ne Zha with local intangible heritage, and in Zhejiang a farm has turned its lotus root picking into an activity branded as "the rebirth of Ne Zha."

In Chengdu, streets like Chunyangguan, Erxianqiao, and Songxianqiao have joined the route with tales about the immortals. The Sichuan Museum keeps open an exhibition on the architecture and transmission of Yongle Gong temple, which serves as historical backing for the presence of the Eight Immortals in the city.

The franchise does not stop here. Director Jiaozi remains locked in production on the third installment of Ne Zha, and Mou Zhengyang, director of Ba Xian!, has confirmed that the second part is already in the planning stage. Chinese animation, for now, is not letting go of the Taoist pantheon.