“Nobody” Breaks ¥700M Box Office, to Become China’s Highest-Grossing Domestic 2D Animated Film

As of August 14, 2025, the first animated feature film in the ”Yao-Chinese Folktales“ series, Nobody, has surpassed 700 million yuan in cumulative box office revenue, overtaking Big Fish & Begonia to claim the title of China's highest-grossing domestic 2D animated film in history. Since its release on August 2, the film has demonstrated remarkable performance, with daily box office earnings exceeding 100 million yuan for two consecutive days during its opening weekend. Its occupancy rate has consistently remained above 28% during peak showtimes, significantly outperforming the average for competing films. The Maoyan entertainment platform has revised its total box office projection for the film to 1.524 billion yuan.

Nobody was crafted by the original creative team, expanding its worldview to focus on the often-overlooked minor demons from Journey to the West. The film follows four ordinary little monsters—a pig demon, a toad spirit, a weasel spirit, and a social anxious gorilla monster—who, after offending the King of Langlang Mountain, are forced to flee. Disguising themselves as Tang Monk and his disciples, they embark on an absurd journey westward, reinterpreting the classic narrative through their unique perspective. In traditional Journey to the West stories, such characters typically serve as mere background figures. In contrast, Nobody places these underdogs at the forefront, spotlighting their joys, sorrows, aspirations, frustrations, and struggles.

The film’s Langlang Mountain universe serves as a vivid allegory for modern workplace dynamics. The tasks assigned by the King, the monsters’ late-night efforts to craft arrows only to have their work dismissed, and the scapegoating that follows failed missions weave a tapestry of absurd yet poignant real-world metaphors. The little monsters’ “quest for scriptures” is less about reaching the Western Paradise and more about their pursuit of survival and recognition.

The film also stands out for its artistic excellence and production scale. Nobody was brought to life by a team of over 600 professionals, who completed more than 1,800 storyboards and 2,000 hand-drawn scenes, blending traditional ink-wash painting aesthetics with meticulous fine-brushwork details.

Additionally, Nobody has secured partnerships with over 30 brands, resulting in the launch of more than 400 licensed derivative products. Furthermore, Nobody: Journey with the Monsters XR, a collaboration between Shanghai Animation Film Studio and VIMO XR, is slated for release in August, offering audiences an immersive storytelling experience that bridges cinema viewing with virtual space interaction.

While solidifying its domestic success, Nobody is set to make its international debut in early 2026, entering mainstream markets in North America, Southeast Asia, and beyond, marking a new chapter for Chinese animation on the global stage.