It only took the Chinese animation movie Ne Zha 2 six days after its March 13 opening in Malaysia to gross over 22 million ringgit ($4.97 million). The huge earnings have made it the highest-grossing film from China in the Malaysian box office, according to the social media post of TGV Cinemas, one of Malaysia's biggest cinema chains.

That Ne Zha 2 is a huge hit in Malaysia is just another proof of its global appeal. After all, the movie, which chronicles the adventures of a plucky mythical demon child and his ally, a dragon deity, has resonated with millions of moviegoers worldwide, making it the first non-Hollywood title to earn over $1 billion. The success of Ne Zha 2 in Malaysia is another example of how Chinese movies have made inroads in Southeast Asia in the past few years.

Ne Zha 2, for example, also debuted in jam-packed cinemas in the Philippines and Thailand when the movie was released on March 12 and March 13 respectively. In Indonesia, Ne Zha 2 premiered on March 15 in a packed theater in Jakarta.

"In Malaysia, Chinese content is gaining popularity definitely," said Koh Mei Lee, chief executive officer of Malaysia's biggest cinema exhibitor Golden Screen Cinemas.

She said apart from Ne Zha 2, Chinese movies have been hitting record earnings in Malaysia in recent years, citing other top-grossing films like the dramedy YOLO and crime thriller No More Bets.

Koh said Chinese movies are "well-accepted" in Malaysia, noting that Chinese-language movies account for 20 percent of all the movies released in cinemas nationwide each year.

Michael Chai, chief executive officer of Phnom Penh-based film distributor Westec Media and Legend Cinema, said the Chinese epic fantasy film Creation of Gods 2 and the comedy mystery Detective Chinatown 1900 dominated the Cambodian box office in the first quarter of the year. He said the figures don't include possible strong earnings from Ne Zha 2 — which will be released in Cambodian theaters next week.

C-dramas gain popularity

Cambodians are not just trooping to cinemas to get their fill of Chinese content. Chai said a growing number of Cambodians are also going online to watch Chinese dramas, or C-dramas — their popularity even surpassing that of South Korean dramas which have long been popular in Southeast Asia.

Derrick Heng, chief marketing officer of Telkomsel, one of Indonesia's biggest telecommunication companies, said C-dramas are also taking off in Indonesia. "The production value (of these C-dramas) is very high (and) the (story plots) are also very compelling. They (also feature) very good talents," Heng said.

Lim Teck, managing director of Clover Films, a Singapore-based movie producer and distributor, sees C-dramas and other Chinese content staying high on the popularity charts in the forthcoming years.

"I don't think it's just a fad," Lim said, noting how C-dramas have a strong fan base in the region.

Grace Chin, head of V-Pulse, an entertainment analytics solution for Chinese dramas globally, underscored the role fans play in the ecosystem and success of C-dramas.

Chin said emotional storytelling and character development are key to viewership engagement. She added it's important to understand the "evolving audience expectations" especially in the content market.

Coco Yap, COO of Enjoy TV, said offering content with subtitles in English, Chinese and Malay languages will help cater to Malaysia's different ethnic groups.

"We are acquiring more and more Chinese content as well," Yap said, adding that more Chinese media companies are going to Southeast Asia for international expansion.

Jan Yumul in Hong Kong contributed to this story.

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