(Yicai) Feb. 10 -- Chinese animation Ne Zha 2 has become the first movie ever to gross more than USD1 billion in a single market, joining only 38 other movies with global box office takings of over CNY8 billion (USD1.1 billion) and sparking a ticket frenzy overseas.

Ne Zha 2 has raked in CNY8.1 billion, making it the first movie made outside the US to break the mark, according to data from ticketing platform Maoyan. The flick, released on Jan. 29 in China, topped Star Wars: The Force Awakens as the highest-grossing film in a single market after its box office exceeded CNY6.7 billion late on Feb. 7.

In addition, Ne Zha 2 became the most-watched film in China after getting more than 160 million admissions, according to Maoyan.

Overseas, Ne Zha 2 will first hit Australian cinemas today, followed by a staggered release in select US theaters and other markets starting Feb. 12. However, many fans in the US have pointed out on social media that tickets for some showings have already sold out.

Many of the good seats for Ne Zha 2 were already booked despite paying close attention to early sales, a US food blogger noted on social media, adding that this was the first time he had to rush to buy tickets for a Chinese movie, and thankfully, many theaters added extra screenings.

The situation in Australia is quite similar, with a Chinese person working in Sydney sharing on social media that "the cinema closest to my home initially only had one screening a day from Monday to Wednesday at 9 p.m., with most good seats booked." However, the cinema has added a second screening at around 5 p.m., the person pointed out.

Editor: Martin Kadiev