“Ne Zha II” partial movie poster.
A24/CMC Pictures
The English dub of Ne Zha 2 — the highest-grossing animated film of all time — is new in theaters. How soon will it be available to stream?
Directed by Yu Yang, the original version of Ne Zha 2 was released in theaters in China on Jan. 29. Since then, Ne Zha 2, according to Box Office Mojo, has earned more than $2.1 billion worldwide to date.
The English dub of Ne Zha 2 — which is the result of indie studio A24’s partnership with Chinese studio CMC Pictures — opens in theaters nationwide on Friday. The official logline for the film reads, “A rebellious young boy, Ne Zha, is feared by the gods and born to mortal parents with wild, uncontrolled powers. Now he’s faced with an ancient force intent on destroying humanity, he must grow up to become the hero the world needs.”
The English dub of Ne Zha 2 stars the voices of Michelle Yeoh, Crystal Lee, Griffin Puatu and Aleks Le.
Right now, the only way you can see the English dub of Ne Zha 2 is in North American theaters, where it is playing in 2,228 North American theaters.
The first stop in the home entertainment marketplace for the English dub of Ne Zha 2 will be on digital streaming via premium video on demand. Typically, there is about a one-month to five-week window between the time A24 releases open in theaters and arrive on PVOD.
For example, Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd’s horror thriller Death of a Unicorn arrived on PVOD on April 29, just over a month after the film opened in theaters on March 28. More recently, A24’s hit Materialists, starring Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans, arrived on PVOD on July 23, a little over five weeks after it opened in theaters on June 13.
If the English dub of Ne Zha 2 follows the same release pattern, then viewers can expect it to arrive for purchase or rent on PVOD anytime between Sept. 23 and Sept. 30, since new films typically arrive on PVOD on Tuesdays.
Which Streaming Service Will Get ‘Ne Zha II’ First?
Since A24 has a deal in place with HBO Max, the English dub of Ne Zha 2 will debut on streaming video on demand on the Warner Bros. Discovery platform first.
Generally, it takes about four to five months for an A24 film to debut on HBO Max. For example, Death of a Unicorn arrived on HBO Max on July 25, just under four months after it opened in theaters on March 28.
Another A24 release, director Alex Garland’s Warfare, is set to debut on SVOD on HBO Max on Sept. 12, just over five months after it opened in theaters.
Should the English dub of Ne Zha 2 follow the same release pattern, viewers can expect the film to arrive on HBO sometime between Dec. 26 and Jan. 23, 2026, since new films on SVOD typically arrive on Fridays.
Ne Zha 2 opens in North American theaters on Friday.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/timlammers/2025/08/22/ne-zha-2-when-is-english-dub-of-global-film-hit-coming-to-streaming/