(Yicai) July 10 -- An English-language version of the record‑breaking Chinese animation Ne Zha 2 will be released in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand later next month, with Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh leading the voice cast.

US film studio A24 and prominent Chinese movie distributor CMC Pictures will co-release the English dub version of Ne Zha 2, which will land in cinemas on Aug. 22.

Ne Zha 2, which is based on ancient Chinese myths, ended its theatrical run in China on June 30 after more than five months breaking box office records.

The movie has taken more than CNY15.9 billion (USD2.2 billion) worldwide, ranking as the fifth highest-grossing movie, the highest-grossing animation, and the highest-grossing non-English film ever, while also being the first flick to earn over USD1 billion in a single market as well as topping many other charts.

Shanghai-based CMC Pictures played a key role in bringing major Chinese-language films such as The Wandering Earth and the Detective Chinatown series to global audiences. Its collaboration with A24 is expected to boost the global visibility of Ne Zha and promote Chinese culture abroad. The English version will help to make the movie more accessible to English-speaking movie-goers.

Ne Zha 2 premiered on Jan. 29, the first day of this year's Chinese New Year holiday. Screenings of the movie, were extended four times after it received an overwhelmingly positive reception, with the latest starting on June 1. Movies typically run for only a month in cinemas.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev