Record-Breaking Opening

Disney's Zootopia 2 earned $556M globally over its opening weekend, the biggest debut ever for an animated film.

Context

The original Zootopia premiered in March 2016 and brought in $1.02B worldwide. Hollywood experienced a challenging summer and early fall in 2025, with October recording the lowest ticket sales on record. Theater owners have been struggling with declining attendance as studios continue to shorten the window between theatrical releases and digital availability.

Box Office Bonanza

Zootopia 2 opened last Wednesday before Thanksgiving and collected $156M in North America from its opening day through Sunday. The film earned an additional $400M internationally, bringing its global total to $556M.

The opening marked the fourth-largest worldwide debut in box office history, trailing behind only three Marvel films: Avengers: Endgame (2019), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).

Strong Performance in China

The sequel performed especially well in China, earning $271.6M during its opening weekend. This represented the second-best opening for a non-Chinese film in the country's history, behind only Avengers: Endgame (2019).

Disney conducted an aggressive marketing campaign in China, including partnerships with major Chinese companies to promote the film.

Impact on Film Industry

The film's success provided a boost to struggling movie theaters following a difficult period. Zootopia 2 was the second consecutive weekend hit after Wicked: For Good opened with $147M the previous week. Together, the two films earned $249M domestically over the five-day Thanksgiving period.

Industry analysts noted that both films appealed to family audiences and benefited from strong marketing campaigns that made them feel like theatrical events. Analysts also expressed confidence that Hollywood could reach $9B in domestic ticket sales for the year, an increase from $8.5B in 2018.