New Chinese animated film "Legend of Deification" to hit theaters in January

Chinese animated film "Legend of Deification," which tells of Jiang Ziya, a mythological figure sharing the same god universe with Nezha, is set to hit Chinese mainland cinemas on Jan 25, 2020, the movie's official Weibo account announced Wednesday.

Known as "Jiang Zi Ya" in Chinese, the upcoming film is based on the tale of a genius strategist from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) novel "Fengshen Yanyi," or "The Investiture of the Gods," the same book that inspired "Ne Zha," the Chinese animated blockbuster about its eponymous hero.

"Ne Zha" has generated a total box office revenue of more than 4.9 billion yuan (around $690 million) on the Chinese mainland since its July 26 debut, according to the China Movie Data Information Network.

It ranked second on the box office chart covering all the films ever screened on the Chinese mainland, behind only "Wolf Warrior 2."