As all of Hollywood frets over the long run of theatrical amid the proposed Netflix-Warner Bros. merger, the stunning performance of Disney’s critical and audience darling Zootopia 2 underscores that moviegoers will end up for the fitting reason.
The Walt Disney Animation Studios sequel zoomed past the $1 billion mark on the worldwide box office on Friday after just 17 days in release. It’s only the second film of 2025 to date to attain that feat behind fellow Disney blockbuster Lilo & Stitch. Furthermore, it did so within the shortest period of time amongst all animated Hollywood releases and all PG-rated movies.
The sequel, continuing the adventures of an optimistic rabbit and a sly fox, topped Friday’s chart in North America with one other $6.2 million for a domestic total of $238.9 million and roughly $1.08 billion globally. (Through Thursday, the pic’s foreign cume was a big $753.4 million; Disney will update international numbers Sunday.)
Zootopia 2 is now on target to return to first place in its third weekend after briefly ceding the crown to Blumhouse and Universal’s Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, which is pacing to are available second in its sophomore outing with $20 million because it crosses the $95 million mark domestically.
Thanksgiving tentpole Wicked: For Good, now in its fourth weekend, is celebrating becoming only certainly one of five 2025 releases to cross $300 million domestically behind A Minecraft Movie, Lilo & Stitch, Superman and Jurassic World: Rebirth.
Not all is sunny skies on the Disney lot this weekend as twentieth Century’s political comedy-drama Ella McCay — which is known director James L. Brooks‘ first film in years — becomes the most recent high-profile adult title to badly struggle as awards season heats up.
Ella McCay opened to only $850,000 on Friday for an expected sixth-place launch within the $2.5 million range. That will mark a profession worst for Brooks, in addition to certainly one of the worst starts ever for a significant studio title going out in 2,500 or more theaters. Critics have skewered the film despite its high-profile ensemble solid that features Emma Mackey within the titular role, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jack Lowden and Albert Brooks.
To ensure, Zootopia 2 is great news for Disney’s entire film empire, and likewise marks the primary back-to-back billion-dollar releases for Walt Disney Animation Studios, following last 12 months’s Moana 2. The animation studio now counts five billion-dollar titles since 2013 between the Frozen, Moana and Zootopia series.
“Everyone at Disney Animation put their heart, soul and fervour into this film to inform a story stuffed with joy, imagination and incredible thoughtfulness,” said Jared Bush, chief creative officer, Walt Disney Animation Studios. “This milestone means the world to us, because greater than anything, it means audiences are coming to theaters for a shared experience of watching this movie on the massive screen, everyone together, from all walks of life around the globe — and that could be a Zootopia dream come true.”
Zootopia 2 opened to a record-smashing $559.5 million over the five-day Thanksgiving corridor to boast the best global animated opening of all time, the best global debut of 2025 and the highest global opening for any animated film in Disney history.
The Thanksgiving tentpole has also reignited interest within the franchise, driving record viewership of 2016’s Zootopia, which topped out at $1.03 billion on the box office.
Zootopia 2 is destined to fly far higher, because of the upcoming Christmas holidays, when kids are in search of things to do. The market can sustain even three to 4 event pics throughout the final two weeks of the 12 months. The most important title on the marquee is Avatar: Fire and Ash.
Dec. 13, 12 p.m.: Updated with revised numbers for Zootopia 2 and other movies.
This story was originally published Dec. 12 at 8:34 a.m.