This year saw a seriously unexpected movie emerge as not just the highest-grossing movie of the year, but one of the biggest movies of all time. Now, the critically acclaimed martial arts action fantasy flick is headed to streaming, where it will no doubt match the same success as audiences flock to see what all the fuss is about.
Released in theaters in the United States back in August, Ne Zha 2 brings an epic action-packed tale to life in glorious animation. The Chinese animated fantasy film is directed by Jiaozi, and features a voice cast that includes Lü Yanting, Joseph Cao, Han Mo, Lü Qi, Hao Chen, Zhang Jiaming, Wang Deshun, with Crystal Lee, Aleks Le, Vincent Rodriguez III, William Utay, Daniel Riordan, Damien Haas, and Michelle Yeoh making up the English dub cast.
After achieving huge box office success and widespread critical acclaim, Ne Zha 2 is now headed to streaming thanks to 
HBO Max. The action fantasy film will debut on the streaming platform on December 1, 2025, and you can check out the official synopsis below…
After the heavenly lightning, although Ne Zha and Ao Bing survived by becoming Spirits, they would soon dissipate completely. Taiyi plans to rebuild Ne Zha and Ao Bing’s mortal bodies with the Seven-colored Precious Lotus. However, during the process of reconstruction, numerous obstacles arise. What will become of the fate of Ne Zha and Ao Bing?
‘Ne Zha 2’ Boasts a Score of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes
Released in China back in January this year, Ne Zha 2 has become one of the most surprising box office hits of all time. The animated movie, which is a sequel to 2019’s Ne Zha (which will also become available to stream on HBO Max from December 1), was met with rave reviews upon release, and currently holds ratings of 92% “Certified Fresh” score from critics and a near-perfect 98% “Verified Hot” score from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.
“Visually spectacular with a hyperactive sense of humor, Ne Zha II is a sequel that supercharges the original’s charms while still being accessible for the uninitiated,” the critics’ consensus reads, while audiences praised Ne Zha 2 as “a technical and narrative triumph that exceeds expectations and further immortalizes the Chinese legend.
But, while the critical and audience response was somewhat expected (the first movie holds respective scores of 89% and 98% on the review aggregator site) the box office results have been astounding. Ne Zha 2 reached 4 billion yuan in just six days, and went on to gross a worldwide box office total of $2.15 billion, making it the highest-grossing non-English language movie ever, the highest-grossing animated movie ever, the highest-grossing movie of the year, and the fifth-highest-grossing film of all time, where it stands at the tippy top alongside the likes of Titanic, Avatar: The Way of Water, Avengers: Endgame, and Avatar.
- Release Date
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January 29, 2025
- Runtime
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144 minutes
- Director
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Yang Yu
- Writers
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Yang Yu, Zhonglin Xu, Xixing Lu
- Producers
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Wenzhang Liu
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Lü Yanting
Young Nezha (voice)
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Joseph
Youth Nezha/Jie Jie Shou Zuo (voice)
