Even though Ne Zha 2 is the highest-grossing animated movie in history and can already be streamed, there’s still no indication of when it will arrive on home video. This little hero is proving as elusive as White Snake 3 (aka Afloat). It’s a strange place to be in 2026, especially for a film that’s just over a year old. Merchandise is reportedly flying off the shelves, yet the movie itself has no physical release in sight.
This work hit Chinese theatres on January 29, 2025, and quickly lit up the global box office. The film grossed over $2.2 billion worldwide and now ranks among the highest-grossing films of all time, alongside Avengers: Endgame, Avatar: The Way of Water, and Titanic. It’s more than an animated milestone, it’s a cultural moment. So why is the home video shelf still empty?
On the digital side, it began streaming online as early as August 2, 2025, just 33 days after its theatrical run wrapped. Internationally, A24 partnered with CMC Pictures (the team behind the Wandering Earth films) to bring an English-language version to theatres across the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It opened on August 22, 2025, in IMAX, 3D, and other premium formats before moving to streaming.
Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh led the English dub cast for that run, voicing Ne Zha’s mother. The English version then moved to VOD on September 16, 2025. Through A24’s deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, it landed on Max on December 24, 2025, with the first film arriving earlier on December 1, giving subscribers both entries over the holidays. It’s also available to rent or purchase digitally on Apple TV and Amazon.
The physical media situation is where things get strange. As of 2026, no Blu-ray or 4K UHD release has been announced anywhere in the world. There are no retail listings, and even disc-tracking sites are coming up empty. At the same time, fans have been asking where White Snake: Afloat has gone. It received a limited release, then quickly disappeared.
Any eBay listings are bootlegs. Whether this is tied to rights issues isn’t clear. For comparison, the first Ne Zha (2019) received a full physical release from Well Go USA and has been widely available for years. The sequel, despite a much larger cultural footprint, has nothing comparable in the pipeline.
As for why it isn’t being fast-tracked, the most likely explanation is a streaming-first strategy that has become increasingly common. While Afloat may have its own distribution complications, similar patterns are appearing with Liao Zhai: Lanruo Si. In that case, it appears international distributors are hesitant to take the risk. There are no obvious rights conflicts, especially since the music is original. Instead, the hesitation may come down to perceived global appeal.
Ultimately, the international licensing puzzle is messy. With CMC Pictures handling certain territories, A24 holding North American dub rights, and Max acting as the primary English-language streaming home, coordinating a global physical release for Ne Zha 2 is not straightforward.
Some Chinese animated films end up locked into streaming, while others get selective physical releases. That could still change later in 2026. A distributor could announce a Blu-ray at any time and resolve the situation overnight. For now, though, one of the biggest films ever made has no shelf presence, which feels like a strange footnote to a remarkable box office story. If you’re holding out for a disc, keep an eye on A24 and Well Go USA. The latter handled the first film and would be a logical choice for the sequel. Just don’t hold your breath.
Ne Zha 2 Trailer
Discover more from Otaku no Culture
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
