What’s the biggest movie of 2025 so far? It’s not Sinners, Jurassic World Rebirth, Lilo & Stitch or A Minecraft Movie. In fact, American audiences probably haven’t even heard of it.
It’s called Ne Zha 2, a Chinese animated film that is dominating the global box office almost entirely from within its home country. Released in January, it has made over $2 billion, overtaking 2024’s Inside Out 2 for the highest grossing animation of all-time.
And now, it’s coming to North America.
A24 will collaborate with China’s state-sponsored CMC Pictures to bring Ne Zha 2 to theaters in the United States and Canada, as well as Australia and New Zealand, on Aug. 22. The English-language dub will feature Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh in the voice cast.
A sequel to 2019’s Ne Zha, the film, by director Yang Yu, aka Jiaozi, is based on the 16th century novel Investiture of the Gods. It follows the title character, a demigod with a rebellious nature, as he learns to wield his incredible powers and protect humanity from forces of evil.
In a statement, Yeoh said she is ‘honored to be part of Ne Zha 2, a landmark in Chinese animation and a powerful reminder of how universal our stories can be.’ The rest of the English voice cast has not yet been announced.
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