5 Reasons Why Zootopia 2 Crushed The Box Office

It always looked like we were going to end 2025 on a high note at the box office thanks to some heavy-hitters arriving in theaters over the last handful of weeks of the year, but nobody could have predicted this. Disney's "Zootopia 2" just posted a record-smashing debut over the Thanksgiving holiday, obliterating expectations to deliver the biggest global opening ever for an animated movie.

Over the five-day, Wednesday to Sunday holiday stretch, "Zootopia 2" earned an absolutely mind-melting $559.5 million globally. That includes $158 million domestically, easily taking the crown away from "Wicked: For Good" after its $147 million opening. The "Wicked" sequel was still mighty, taking in another $93 million over the long weekend. The long-awaited "Zootopia" sequel was an even bigger draw around the world, bringing in $401.5 million internationally.

"Zootopia 2" picks back up with officers Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) as they investigate a big mystery involving Gary De'Snake (Ke Huy Quan), who turns Zootopia upside down upon arrival. Jared Bush and Byron Howard co-directed the film. The original "Zootopia" did just over $1 billion globally in 2016. The sequel now figures to far exceed that mark.

So, what went right here? How did Disney hit it out of the park so hard with its latest sequel? We're going to look at the biggest reasons why "Zootopia 2" ruled the box office on its record-breaking opening weekend. Let's get into it.

There's no need to bury the lede here. The reason why "Zootopia 2" annihilated pre-release expectations is completely owed to China. Audiences in the country absolutely ate up Disney's latest sequel in a way that nobody could have anticipated, particularly in light of the fact that Chinese moviegoers haven't been turning up for Hollywood movies like they used to. In this case, though, we're looking at the mother of all exceptions to that rule.

"Zootopia 2" opened to a dizzying $272 million in China, including $104 million on Saturday, the biggest single day ever for an American movie in the country. It's also the second-biggest opening for a Hollywood movie ever in China, trailing only 2019's "Avengers: Endgame," which debuted to more than $300 million en route to $2.79 billion globally. Yes, this movie is that big.

It's not as though this came completely out of nowhere. The first "Zootopia" did $236 million of its $1.02 billion total in China, which was huge at the time. But the fact that the sequel far exceeded that total in a single weekend is downright remarkable. It's because of the monstrous Chinese turnout that we're now looking at the fourth-biggest global opening ever, trailing only "Endgame" ($1.2 billion), "Avengers: Infinity War" ($630 million), and "Spider-Man: No Way Home" ($587 million). The sky is truly the limit at this point.

Hollywood may no longer be able to depend on a robust Chinese box office, but it sure as heck worked in Disney's favor this time around.

When audiences have to wait nearly a decade for a sequel, it can be tough to live up to expectations. Fortunately, in this case, Disney did its thing and delivered the goods in the way Disney has, historically, done very well. "Zootopia 2" was met with a very warm response from both critics and audiences, which helped make a big opening even bigger. It also ensures that the movie will be raking it in well into the new year.

The sequel currently holds an excellent 91% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes to go with a stellar 96% audience rating. It also earned an A CinemaScore, firmly putting it in crowd-pleaser territory. That basically guarantees "Zootopia 2" will reach the $1 billion mark sooner rather than later. The only remaining question is just how high the movie will fly when all's said and done.

In her review of "Zootopia 2" for /Film, BJ Colangelo called it a "rare example of a follow-up film that can live up to the high bar set by the first movie." That's not to say that this film wouldn't have had a big opening no matter what, but a movie being really good always helps matters, and the consensus is that this is a really good movie.

The original "Zootopia" opened in March 2016 and sort of slow-rolled its way to the $1 billion milestone after posting a comparatively modest $75 million opening. March, in the 2010s, had become something of an extension of the summer blockbuster season, with movies like "The Hunger Games," "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," and Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" all successfully rolling out during that period. This also allowed them to avoid the log jam that often transpires during the summer months.

November, similarly, can offer very green pastures to the right movie. Not only is the long Thanksgiving holiday stretch itself traditionally lucrative, but a film such as "Zootopia 2" can further use that momentum to keep the ball rolling right into the winter holidays and the dead zone that is January. It's a lucrative spot on the calendar and, in this case, it proved to be the perfect place for this sequel.

Disney, of course, capitalized on this same spot last year with "Moana 2," leading to the biggest Thanksgiving box office turnout ever domestically. We're talking about an animated sequel that went on to earn more than $1 billion globally. It's not hard to imagine that Disney is going to plant a flag around Thanksgiving for an animated event movie annually now, as this approach has worked like gangbusters for the studio of late.

In the pandemic era, Disney animation has struggled at times, be it through Walt Disney Animation Studios or Pixar. Disney's big-budget animated original "Strange World" was a monstrous box office flop in 2022 over Thanksgiving, making just $73.6 million globally in total. This year also saw Pixar's "Elio" bomb badly with a mere $154.2 million worldwide take, a new low for Pixar. But when Disney's animation output is firing on all cylinders and connecting with audiences, it's about as powerful as anything Hollywood has to offer.

In 2016, original hits were very hard to come by. Not quite as hard as they are now, but still hard. Yet, "Zootopia" made $1 billion. Here we are, nearly a decade later, and "Zooptia 2" is already one of the 10 biggest movies of 2025 globally after just a handful of days, pushing "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" ($521.8 million) out of the lineup. That's the potential power of Disney animation at play. Granted, it's largely happening with sequels these days, but that's another conversation entirely.

Disney's animated titles can even weather long breaks between installments. "Inside Out 2" made an astonishing $1.69 billion in 2024, nine years after the original film hit theaters. "Incredibles 2" made $1.2 billion a full 14 years after its predecessor. Though not as long of a break, "Frozen II" pulled in $1.45 billion six years after "Frozen" became a $1.2 billion sensation. Under the right circumstances, Disney animation still means something to people. 

It's absolutely no secret that the pandemic era has been tough for Hollywood. Between the rise of streaming and changing consumer habits, it's harder than ever to predict success at the box office. But as superhero movies fall from grace and an increasing number of franchises run out of steam, it's family-friendly fare that continues to rule the day. "Zootopia 2" is just the latest — and biggest — example of that.

Case in point: "Lilo & Stitch" is the only Hollywood movie to make $1 billion globally in 2025. "Zootopia 2" will soon join that list. "A Minecraft Movie" got darn close with $957.9 million worldwide. The live-action "How to Train Your Dragon" remake made $636.2 million, more than any comic book movie this year. PG films aimed at families are succeeding with frequency. It's undeniable at this point.

It transcends any medium, franchise, or studio as well. 2023 saw "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" make $1.36 billion. It also saw "Wonka" rake in a genuinely surprising $634.5 million. Even last year's "Mufasa: The Lion King" legged out to $722.6 million. Every "Sonic the Hedgehog" movie has made more than the last. Family-friendly movies are dominating. PG and family films are a big reason why 2026 might be a record-breaking year for the box office overall. It's a great business to be in, and Disney is the biggest name in that particular business.

"Zootopia 2" is in theaters now.