“Zootopia 2” had an impressive and record-breaking opening weekend at the box office, amassing a remarkable $96 million in North America. The animated sequel from the Walt Disney Company brought in an astounding $156 million over the extended five-day Thanksgiving period, totaling an exceptional $556 million globally since its release on Wednesday, according to studio estimates released on Sunday.
This monumental performance established “Zootopia 2” as the highest international opening ever for an animated film, ranking as the fourth highest global debut across all film categories, and marking it as the top international opener for 2025. The sequel precedes its predecessor, which debuted almost a decade ago to exceeding expectations, with an initial domestic opening of $75 million in March.
The film continues the adventures of the beloved characters Judy Hopps, voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin, and Nick Wilde, voiced by Jason Bateman, in a humorous world populated by anthropomorphic animals. Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for Comscore, noted that this sequel represents a franchise that effectively delivers on audience expectations at a global scale.
“Wicked: For Good,” a film by Universal Pictures, also performed well during its second weekend, earning $62.8 million domestically, elevating its North American total to $270.4 million. The continuation of the “Wicked” story has attracted $393 million internationally, contributing to a lucrative Thanksgiving weekend for both films. Together, these PG-rated sequels generated a collective $290 million over the five-day holiday, with $188 million derived from box office sales from Friday through Sunday.
This surge in ticket sales might signal either a temporary upturn or a potentially strong finish for Hollywood’s box office year, with noteworthy releases still to come in 2025, including “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2.” Dergarabedian emphasized that these impressive results are instrumental in building momentum as the year draws to a close.
The sequel's success was particularly pronounced in China, where it generated close to half of its total global revenue with an astonishing $272 million in ticket sales, making it the largest opening for any American-made animated film in that market. This performance marked it as the second best opening for a non-local film in China, trailing only behind “Avengers: Endgame.” This remarkable achievement reflects a shift in box office dynamics, where Hollywood productions have faced increasing uncertainty in the Chinese market due to geopolitical tensions and a trend favoring domestic films.
Despite these complications, “Zootopia 2” had a predetermined advantage owing to the legacy of the first film, known in China as “Crazy Animal City,” which garnered $236 million. Additionally, the attraction of a theme land dedicated to the franchise at Shanghai Disneyland likely contributed to its success.
“Wicked: For Good” also weathered stiff competition, recording a similar number of tickets sold globally, with its total earnings reaching $92.2 million for the weekend. Meanwhile, another notable entry, “Hamnet,” positioned itself as a contender for the upcoming awards season, performing strongly in its limited release. The film, helmed by Chloe Zhao and featuring actors Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, earned $1.35 million from Wednesday to Sunday in just 119 theaters, marking an impressive average of over $11,000 per theater.
The top ten films raking in domestic box office numbers include:
- 1. “Zootopia 2,” $96.8 million.
- 2. “Wicked: For Good,” $62.8 million.
- 3. “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t,” $7 million.
- 4. “Predator: Badlands,” $4.8 million.
- 5. “The Running Man,” $3.7 million.
- 6. “Eternity,” $3.2 million.
- 7. “Rental Family,” $2.1 million.
- 8. “Hamnet,” $880,000.
- 9. “Sisu: Road to Revenge,” $810,000.
- 10. “Nuremberg,” $749,325.
This report has been corrected to clarify that “Zootopia 2” holds the position of the sixth largest North American opening of 2025, rather than the fourth.
