Ne Zha 2 has now gotten a United States distributor for theatrical release. The Chinese animated sequel is directed by Yu Yang and tells a fantasy epic story about the souls Ne Zha and Aobing, who have to find new life after a catastrophe occurs.

The film originally got a wide release in China, where it became the country’s highest-grossing film of all time. While some sources dispute the exact grossing, Ne Zha 2 is reported to have made up to $2.2 billion. This makes it not only China’s biggest winner but the highest-grossing animated film of all time.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Ne Zha 2 is now getting an official United States release. The film will be distributed by the independent film group A24. They will collaborate with CMC Pictures to bring an English-language dubbed version. This English-language version will see Michelle Yeoh lead the voice cast.

The film is set for theatrical release in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand on August 22. Yeoh shared a statement about her proud involvement with the film, which can be found below:

“I’m honored to be part of Ne Zha 2, a landmark in Chinese animation and a powerful reminder of how universal our stories can be. Sharing this with audiences in English is such a joy, and I can’t wait for everyone to experience the wonder, heart, spectacular artistry, and magic of this film on the big screen.”

What This Means For Ne Zha 2

The Film’s Box Office Can Get Even Bigger

Ne Zha 2 is already the highest-grossing movie of the year, and by a long sH๏τ. This domestic release will only increase its box office potential when counting both the dubbed and original language totals.

The film previously received a limited United States release in response to its huge success in China, but this was an English-subтιтled version of the original Chinese. During this run, it made an estimated $20 million. A dubbed version is nearly sure to be more successful.

Ne Zha 2 will be coming out during a busy time at the box office. August 22 will see the release of two Sydney Sweeney films, Americana and Eden, as well as the films Honey Don’t, Relay, Splitsville, and Highest 2 Lowest. That said, none of these other movies are family-oriented, which could give the film more clearance to succeed.

Our Take On The Ne Zha 2 English-Language Release Date

This Is Big For A24

This collaboration is a notable project for A24. While the company has been expanding internationally over recent years, it rarely collaborates with China. In a time of tense global politics between the U.S. and China, it will be interesting to see how Ne Zha 2 can perform.

The Ne Zha 2 English-language dub is also interesting for A24 because they almost exclusively work in live-action. If this is a huge success, this could encourage the company to work on more animation and/or to further their working relationship with CMC and China more broadly.

Source: THR