Ne zha 2‘s visuals blend modern effects with traditional Chinese aesthetics. Courtesy A24
Americans with K-pop fans at home might think Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters is the hottest story in animation right now. The musical, about a fictional girl group that moonlights as demon fighters, has dominated Netflix’s charts since June. But when it hits theaters this weekend, it will face an unlikely challenger: Ne zha 2a mythological fantasy from China arriving in the U.S. through a partnership between A24 and China’s CMC Pictures. Most U.S. audiences have never heard of it, yet the film has already grossed more than $2 billion (almost entirely from China), making it the highest-grossing animated movie of all time. Its Aug. 22 release sets up a fascinating box office showdown between two very different kinds of animated hits.
Ne zha 2 is the sequel to the 2019 smash Ne Zhawhich earned $720 million and is now available in the U.S. via on-demand platforms like Apple TV. The new film had a limited American run in February, including a screening at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Thanks to the A24-CMC partnership, it’s now poised for a much wider release.
A beloved mythological figure turned big-screen hero
The story centers on a rebellious boy born with destructive powers who must confront an ancient force bent on destroying humanity. The English-language version features Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh, who has said she was drawn to the film’s universal themes of identity and resilience.
The scale of the production is staggering: more than 4,000 artists from 138 studios worked for five years to complete nearly 2,400 animation shots and 2,000 visual effects shots. Set pieces like the Battle of Chentang Pass—where magma splits the earth as monsters pour into the battlefield—were designed specifically for IMAX and 3D. As the press notes put it, “it’s not much of an exaggeration to say the entire Chinese animation industry had a hand in the making of Ne zha 2.”
Audiences have responded in kind. The film currently holds a near-perfect 99 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it not just the top-rated animated release of 2025 but one of the year’s highest-rated films overall. Its U.S. rollout includes regular, IMAX and 3D formats, with a fresh English dub likely to broaden its appeal.
A24’s quiet ambition beyond its indie roots
While A24 typically keeps quiet about its strategy, the studio told Observer it backed Ne Zha 2 to champion bold, distinctive films and spark conversation around a global hit that had gone largely unnoticed stateside. This isn’t the studio’s first foray into global cinema; In 2023, A24 distributed The Zone of Interest in the U.S., a Holocaust drama that went on to win the Oscar for Best International Feature Film.
The figure of Ne Zha has deep cultural roots. In Chinese mythology, he is a rebellious warrior who defies the gods in pursuit of his destiny—a household name embodying both the search for identity and resistance to authority. The Ne Zha films are the first time this folklore has been told on a blockbuster scale and exported around the world.
That makes Ne zha 2 an ideal project for A24, which is expanding beyond its indie-film roots into a global distribution role. Known for edgy, auteur-driven work like Moonlight and HBO’s EuphoriaA24 has built a reputation as a tastemaker while growing through smart partnerships. The Ne zha 2 release lets it expand its reach without abandoning the offbeat, distinctive style that defines the brand.
The film’s cultural impact also lies in its art. Its visuals blend modern effects with traditional Chinese aesthetics: ink-wash landscapes, jade palaces inspired by Han Dynasty architecture, and monsters modeled on ancient bronzeware. Combined with large-scale battle scenes, the result is a visual spectacle built for the biggest screens possible.
