‘Zootopia 2’ hops to the top of the box office this Thanksgiving weekend

by

The animated sequel “Zootopia 2” debuted at number one in theaters, leading a strong weekend for movies aimed at families.

The latest movie, a follow-up to the 2016 hit from Disney, earned $156 million in the U.S. and Canada during the five-day Thanksgiving holiday, the studio reported. Making the film cost between $175 million and $200 million.

As a huge animation fan, I was thrilled to see “Zootopia 2” do so well! It brought in a total of $556 million worldwide, and a big chunk of that – $272 million – came from China. Now, China used to be this massive market for Hollywood, but things have slowed down a bit there recently. Still, “Zootopia 2” actually had the biggest opening weekend ever for a non-Chinese animated movie in the country, which is pretty amazing!

Hollywood Inc.

The animated Disney film “Zootopia,” released in 2016, was once the highest-grossing Hollywood animated movie in China. However, the Chinese film market has evolved significantly since then.

The movie likely did well in China because of the popular “Zootopia” brand. Disney boosted awareness with a new themed land at Shanghai Disneyland in 2023 and a large marketing push before the film came out. The first “Zootopia” movie earned $236 million at the Chinese box office.

Universal Pictures’ “Wicked: For Good” earned $93 million domestically over its first five days in theaters, landing it in second place at the box office.

The weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are usually a crucial time for movie studios and theaters. They often release family movies or large-scale action films hoping to earn a significant portion of their yearly income during this period.

Both “Zootopia 2” and “Wicked: For Good” were expected to be big box office hits late in the year. Disney’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash” is also anticipated to be a major draw, and will hit theaters next month.

Hollywood Inc.

When “Lilo & Stitch” first came out in theaters in 2002, it earned $273 million. However, Stitch has remained popular over the years, leading to strong merchandise sales and a new live-action film.

The positive response to movies like “Zootopia 2” and “Wicked: For Good” shows that families are eager to go to the cinema. Even though movie ticket sales have been inconsistent overall this year, films made for children and families have generally done well.

The live-action remake of Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” earned over $1 billion worldwide, and Warner Bros.’ “The Minecraft Movie” also performed very well, bringing in almost $958 million.

Read More

2025-11-30 21:31