China's Summer Hit 'Ne Zha' to Get North American Release from Well Go USA (Exclusive)

The film has earned more than $550 million in China, making it the biggest animation ever in the country, and the fourth biggest theatrical release overall.

China's hit of the summer, animated blockbuster Ne Zha, is heading to North America.

Well Go USA Entertainment will release the film exclusively in select 3D Imax theaters across North America on Aug. 29, followed by a nationwide expansion on Sept. 6.

Produced by Beijing Enlight Pictures and written and directed by first-time feature filmmaker Yang Yu (aka Jiao Zi), Ne Zha is China's biggest animated film ever, with a box office total of $555 million and counting. Already China's fourth-biggest film release of all time, Ne Zha is forecast by most analysts to finish its run with well over $600 million. It could even challenge sci-fi smash The Wandering Earth to become the Middle Kingdom's second-biggest movie in local box office history.

An innovative take on a well-known work of classical Chinese mythology, Ne Zha follows a boy born of the gods who finds himself a feared outcast because of a divine prophecy that he will bring destruction to the world. The young boy faces a choice between good and evil in order to break the shackles of fate and become a hero.

The film's underdog story has clicked with audiences in China in a profound way, resulting in historically high social scores for the movie on leading review platforms, such as 9.7/10 on leading ticketing app Maoyan.

A specialist in bringing top Asian film titles — both art house and genre fare — to U.S. cinemas, Well Go's other recent releases include Lee Chang-dong’s Burning, Zhang Yimou’s Shadow and Yuen Woo-Ping’s Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy.