A24 Brings 'Ne Zha 2' (Back) To America

The biggest international grosser ever is getting an English dub and an IMAX engagement *after* earning $2.2 billion worldwide.

Ne Zha 2 loses subtitles and gains PLF screens.

Well, this is a welcome surprise. Ne Zha 2 is returning to North American theaters on August 22, following a $21 million domestic run courtesy of CMC Pictures. This time out, it’ll feature an English dubbed track, headlined by Michelle Yeoh, and an engagement in various PLF auditoriums (IMAX, Dolby, etc.), which it missed out on back in February. Perhaps more importantly, the domestic distribution for this reprisal, as well as return runs in Australia and New Zealand, comes courtesy of A24.

Yes, the arthouse for cool kids is taking its first small step into the realm of fully animated (all respect to Marcel the Shell with Shoes On) theatrical releases. Starting with a domestic reissue of the fifth-highest-grossing movie of all time is almost a cheat, but I respect the hustle. For reference, Ne Zha 2’s $2.215 billion global total ranks (sans inflation, exchange rates, and the like) behind only Titanic ($2.22 billion, including reissues), Avatar: The Way of Water ($2.3 billion), Avengers: Endgame ($2.7 billion), and Avatar ($2.8 billion).

Ne Zha 2 is the top-earning animated film (towering over Inside Out 2’s $1.7 billion cume), the top-grossing non-English language grosser (more than doubling China’s $911 million-grossing Korean War epic The Battle at Lake Changjin), the biggest single-territory earner ($2.1 billion just in China, more than double The Force Awakens’ $937 million domestic total) and — just above Avatar’s $2.1 billion overseas total — the biggest-grossing movie ever outside of North America. Its global total ranks fifth (sans inflation, exchange rates and the like) behind only Titanic ($2.22 billion including reissues), Avatar: The Way of Water ($2.3 billion), Avengers: Endgame ($2.7 billion) and Avatar ($2.8 billion).

While not a record-breaker, its $21 million domestic total (courtesy of CMC Pictures) is above every recent Indian title (RRR, Pathaan, etc.) and the third-biggest Chinese title behind Fearless ($24 million in 2004), Hero ($54 million in 2004) and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon ($128 million in 2000). It also, uh, outgrossed Wolf Man ($20 million).

I don’t want to assume that this six months later reissue means the likes of The Boy and the Heron ($41 million in 2023) or Godzilla Minus One ($57 million in 2023) need to watch their asses, but… maybe? I mean, every penny helps for what could be a Rocky II-style marathon brawl against Avatar: Fire and Ash for the 2025 global crown.

Yes, if time allows, I might re-sample the (rather spectacular) flick in IMAX or Dolby, hopefully with all three of my kids (including the two younger ones who flaked last time) coming along. And maybe this time I’ll rewatch the first film beforehand, natch. Pro tip - Don’t be an idiot like me, (re)watch Ne Zha before you see the sequel. I mean, you’ll otherwise be fine after the first reel, but the 2019 flick is pretty great too.

We shall see whether this reissue is a baby step into the world of animated theatricals or just a way to associate the Ne Zha “brand” with A24 as a prestige play. Lord knows we need more studios offering regular or even semi-regular animated theatricals. Yes, early 2011 (Rango, Rio 2, Hoodwinked 2, Mars Needs Moms, and Gnomeo & Juliet, all released between January and April) is likely a false hope for an implausible future. Still, even a few more Storks-level successes on the regular would be a huge boon.

Anyway, this is a fun way to make good use of “available” PLF real estate after Weapons on August 8 and India’s War 2 (the next chapter in the YRF Spy Universe) on August 14. Bemusingly, Ne Zha 2’s return to theaters is just one week after the GKIDS-distributed 4K reissue of 2016’s Shin Godzilla. And it will be followed up on September 12 by Sony’s likely-to-be-massive debut of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle.

For what it’s worth, my kids are most excited not about Superman or the Fantastic Four, but about the anime sequel and the kaiju reissue. Now if I could just get them into the unique pleasures of 2.5-hour Indian action flicks…