The box office in 2025 has been a wild ride. From early-year flops like Wolf Man to billion-dollar breakouts like Lilo & Stitch, the landscape’s been anything but predictable.
But the biggest shock of the year isn’t from Hollywood at all. It’s from China, where the animated epic Ne Zha 2 has raked in over $2 billion, and now it’s eyeing a piece of North America’s pie.
If you’ve never heard of Ne Zha 2, you’re not alone. Nearly 88% of its earnings came solely from China, making it the highest-grossing movie in a single country by a massive margin. (Star Wars: The Force Awakens trails far behind with $936.6 million domestically.)
That’s about to change as A24, the indie studio powerhouse behind Everything Everywhere All at Once, is bringing an English-dubbed version of the film to U.S. theaters starting August 22.
If this theatrical run performs well, even just moderately well, Ne Zha 2 could surpass James Cameron’s Titanic to become the fourth-highest grossing film of all time. That benchmark? $2.264 billion. Right now, Ne Zha 2 is sitting at a hefty $2.2 billion. So with just $60 to $65 million more in the bank, history could be made.
Set in a mystical world, Ne Zha 2 follows a powerful, rebellious young boy born with uncontrollable powers, feared by gods, and raised by mortal parents. When an ancient force threatens humanity, he must rise and become the hero he’s destined to be.
The English dub has some serious star power too, featuring Michelle Yeoh, Crystal Lee, Vincent Rodriguez III, Aleks Le, and Damien Haas.
That voice cast, combined with A24’s growing global reputation, gives this movie a real shot at crossover appeal. Plus, the original Ne Zha is already available to stream on Peacock, giving audiences a way to catch up before the sequel hits. Not to mention, this theatrical release includes IMAX screenings, which could give ticket sales an extra boost.
$65 million isn’t a tall order for a film with this kind of pedigree, especially when it’s being sold as “the biggest animated movie of all time”, it recently passed Inside Out 2, which grossed $1.69 billion globally, and with a soft August release schedule in U.S. theaters, the timing couldn’t be better.
So whether you’re a fan of epic animation, curious about international box office phenomena, or just want to be part of cinema history, Ne Zha 2 might be worth checking out.