We get into the nitty gritty details of the back half of Ne Zha 2 as well as dive into the cultural war between the US and China and specifically China's rapid gains in dominating the worldwide box office seemingly all on its own.
Timestamps
(00:00) Na Zha 2 spoilers
(37:20) China, America, the global box office, and international influence
(1:15:05) American culture, past and future
Works Cited
- Avengers: Endgame (Russo Brothers, 2019)
- The Battle at Lake Changjin (Chen Kaige, Tsui Hark, Dante Lam, 2021)
- Barbie (Greta Gerwig, 2023)
- Beowulf (Robert Zemeckis, 2007)
- Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science, 2024)
- The Boy and the Heron (Hiyao Miyazaki, 2023)
- 'The Boy and the Heron' review (Sam B., 2023)
- The Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force (Wuershan, 2025)
- The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008)
- Doctor Strange (Scott Derrickson, 2016)
- Detective Chinatown 3 (Chen Sicheng, 2021)
- Foodfight! (Lawrence Kasanoff, 2012)
- 'Foodfight!' review (Devan Scott, 2025)
- Full River Red (Zhang Yimou, 2023)
- Genshin Impact (MiHoYo, 2020)
- Hi, Mom (Jia Ling, 2021)
- Hollywood Searches For 'Pot Of Gold' In China : NPR (Renee Montagne and Kim Masters, 2013)
- Homefront (Kaos Games, 2011)
- Gamasutra - Features - Kaos Descends: How Homefront's Developer Met its End (Leigh Alexander, 2012)
- Homefront: Invasion Media, Justified Violence, Images with No Substance (Steven Santana, 2023)
- Light of Motiram (Tencent, 2025)
- How China's Soft Power is Rewriting Asian Culture (Brabim Karki, 2025)
- The Investiture of the Gods (Xu Zhonglin, circa 16th century)
- Iron Man (Jon Favreau, 2008)
- Iron Man 3 (Shane Black, 2013)
- Journey to the West (Wu Cheng'en, circa 1592)
- Journey to the West (Steven Chow, Derek Kwok, 2013)
- The Karate Kid (Harald Zwart, 2010)
- Kingdom of Loathing (Asymmetric Publications, 2003)
- Looper (Rian Johnson, 2012)
- Ne Zha (Jiaozi, 2019)
- Ne Zha 2 (Jiaozi, 2025)
- "Ne Zha: China's Symbol of Rebellion" (Accented Cinema, 2025)
- Nazha Conquers the Dragon King (Wang Shuchen, Yan Ding Xian, Xu Jingda, 1980)
- Oppenheimer (Christopher Nolan, 2023)
- The Polar Express (Robert Zemeckis, 2004)
- "ROTTEN: Behind the Foodfight" (Ok so…, 2024)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (Gore Verbinski, 2007)
- Red Dawn (Dan Bradley, 2012)
- Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Luo Guanzhong, 14th century)
- Soleimani Death: Spider-Man, SpongeBob Only US Heroes, Iran Cleric Says - Business Insider (Sahar Esfandiari, 2020)
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (Jon Watts, 2021)
- The State of Video Gaming in 2025, p.77 (Matthew Ball, 2025)
- The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, 2024)
- 3 Body Problem (David Benioff, D. B. Weiss, Alexander Woo, 2024)
- Transformers: Age of Extinction (Michael Bay, 2014)
- Total Recall (Len Wiseman, 2012)
- The Wandering Earth (Frant Gwo, 2019)
- The Wandering Earth 2 (Frant Gwo, 2023)
- The Unholy Truth Behind 'Black Myth: Wukong's Massive Sales and False Hype (Shannon Liao, 2024)
- Water Gate Bridge (Dante Lam, Chen Kaige, Tsui Hark, 2022)
- What Is 'Ne Zha 2'? How It Became the Biggest Animated Movie Ever (David Opie, 2025)
- Yolo (Jia Ling, 2024)
Find us elsewhere!
Ben Verschoor
Steven Santana
Opening music is Root Beer Rag by Billy Joel
Closing music is G-Spot Tornado by Frank Zappa
