On August 8th, 2025, GKIDS announced its newly acquired theatrical and home entertainment rights for The Legend of Hei 2, the Chinese animated fantasy adventure by its original creator, MTJJ, with animation produced by studio Hanmu Chunhua, also known as HMCH.

Following its domestic release on July 18th, The Legend of Hei 2 has had an overwhelmingly positive reaction from audiences, becoming the current highest-scoring domestic Chinese theatrical film for this year, and earning an 8.7 Douban rating. By August 4th, the film had grossed more than $49 million. 

As a sequel to The Legend of Hei feature released in 2019, the film follows Luo Xiaohei on his journey confronting the latest conflict, embracing friendship and endurance as central themes. Both features, the original and sequel, are based on The Legend of Luo Xiaohei, an animated series made in 2011 by the same animation studio. The release of The Legend of Hei in 2019 marked the first spin-off feature, garnering over $44.5 million while ranking at the top of China’s box-office during the opening weekend.

Back in June 2023, a 51% stake in HMCH was acquired by COL Group. “The Legend of Hei is one of the best animation IPs in China, with influence that extends beyond domestic borders and is validated in international markets” Chairman and President of COL Group, Tong Zhile, said.

“We’ve long been impressed with the world and characters that MTJJ has developed over the years,” GKIDS Vice President of Distribution, Chance Huskey, commented. “The Legend of Hei 2 delivers a dazzlingly animated action adventure with a strong emotional core that will resonate with audiences even if they are new to the franchise or Chinese animation more broadly.”

“At its heart, The Legend of Hei 2 is about connection, resilience, and identity—themes that transcend borders,” Vice President of COL Group, Wang Jingjing, added. “As one of China’s leading original IPs, we hope our collaboration with GKIDS in the North American market will allow more international audiences to discover and appreciate the world of Luo Xiaohei, and further contribute to the growing recognition of Chinese animation on the global stage.”

Chance Huskey from GKIDS and Vicky Ding from Blossoms Entertainment, on behalf of COL Group, were responsible for negotiating the deal. The Legend of Hei 2 has not only made international partnerships with North America, but also with Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Macau, and South Korea as well through Encore Films. August 28th will begin the release for Southeast Asia. From Japan, another partnership was struck between COL Group, Facewhite Pictures, and Aniplex to further boost the film’s reach with a theatrical release on November 7th.

The Legend of Hei 2 heads to theaters on September 5th for North American audiences. The upcoming sequel will be available in Mandarin and has a runtime of 120 minutes.

Synopsis

The peace between humans and spirits has fractured, and Hei must team up with Luye, the last disciple of Wuxian, to restore it. Both realms hang in the balance, as a conspiracy threatens to ruin everything Hei has fought for.