‘Ne Zha 2’ mania adds 40 bln yuan to distributor’s stock value

The record-breaking box office run by animated Chinese film “Ne Zha 2” continues to be a stock-market boon for the company that produced and distributed it.

Shares of Beijing Enlight Media surged by as much as the 20 percent limit Wednesday, bringing its total gain to more than 140 percent since market reopened after the Lunar New Year holiday. The company’s stock-market value has swelled by nearly 40 billion yuan (HK$42.63 billion) during the period.

The blockbuster sequel, which was produced and distributed domestically in China, has grossed more than 9.18 billion yuan since its debut and already ranks among the 25 top-grossing films of all time worldwide, according to state media company Xinhua, which cited data from ticketing site Maoyan.

Ne Zha 2’s box office haul “largely beats expectations” and will improve Enlight Media’s first-quarter earnings, Capital Securities’ analyst He Lichao wrote in a note.