The surging popularity of Chinese animated film "Ne Zha 2" has fueled sectors including food services, accommodation, cultural tourism, and specialty agriculture.

As "Ne Zha 2" continues its blockbuster run, Yuejie Cinema in Yunyan district, Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou Province has seen a surge in attendance. Even with five daily screenings, nearly every show is sold out. Since Feb. 17, 2025, it has ranked first in national cinema box office sales on multiple days.

The IMAX-GT screen at the cinema offered a stunning movie-viewing experience to Liu Yan, a tourist from central China's Hubei Province. Liu decided to extend her stay in Guiyang for two more days to take in the local sights and cuisine.

Photo taken on Feb. 13, 2025 shows a movie poster of the Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" at a cinema in Lianyungang, east China's Jiangsu province. (People's Daily Online/Geng Yuhe)

Reports show that out-of-town moviegoers like Liu account for 40 percent of the theater's revenue, with fans of "Ne Zha 2" traveling from as far as Beijing, and Liaoning and Shaanxi provinces.

Seizing the opportunity, the cinema has been improving services and infrastructure to enhance the moviegoing experience. According to Feng Zhipeng, a manager at the cinema, daily attendance has peaked at 3,500. To further attract visitors, the cinema offers free luggage storage and three hours of free parking and has partnered with nearby hotels to provide exclusive discounts for moviegoers.

Statistics indicated that searches for nearby hotels tripled year on year during the film's theatrical run, occupancy rates rose by 40 percent, and searches for local food near the cinema jumped 376 percent compared to the week before the Spring Festival.

The Tianjin elements in “Nezha 2” add a unique charm to the film. Some characters in the movie speak in authentic Tianjin dialect, sparking audience curiosity about the origins of the Nezha legend.

Chentangzhuang in north China's Tianjin Municipality, linked by some people to Chentang Pass in the film, is seeing increased visitors. Ahead of the film's release, Hexi district, where Chentangzhuang is located, built the city's first mythology theme park and first immersive costume and makeup experience park.

Many visitors, inspired by the film, have come to Tianjin to try local dishes featured in the movie, such as stir-fried shredded squid and Tianjin lotus root starch.

On Feb. 21, 2025, a promotional event featuring Honghu lotus root of Hubei was held at the Beijing Xinfadi Agricultural Products Expo Center in Beijing. Honghu lotus root is a renowned lotus root variety in Hubei.

In "Ne Zha 2," Ne Zha and Ao Bing (a dragon prince and friend of Ne Zha in the film) are brought back to life by the immortal Taiyi Zhenren, who uses the Seven-Colored Lotus to reconstruct their bodies. This scene has sparked real-world interest in lotus-based products.

"From Jan. 29 to Feb. 23, sales across the Honghu lotus root industry chain in Hubei reached 582 million yuan (about $80.2 million), a 51 percent increase year on year," said Zhang Xianzhong, head of the Honghu Lotus Root Development Center.

Currently, Honghu city in Hubei has 220,000 mu (about 14,667 hectares) of farmland dedicated to lotus root cultivation, with 135 businesses involved in production and sales. The city processes 200,000 tonnes of lotus root products annually, making it one of the top lotus root producers among county-level cities in China.