‘Zootopia 2’ is Disney’s Highest Movie Opening Ever in China; Third Highest Disney Opening Ever

The new animated film is quickly becoming a box office hit, poised to lead Thanksgiving movie sales. Disney has a strong history with traditional animated features, especially those featuring Disney Princesses. However, after some recent disappointments with films like Snow White and The Little Mermaid, this new release suggests audiences may be looking for something different than classic fairy tales.

Initially, many people doubted that the sequel to Disney’s 2016 film could earn more in its opening weekend worldwide than some major summer blockbusters like Superman and The Fantastic Four had earned in their entire theatrical runs. However, considering the current state of movie theaters, they’re starting to think that outcome isn’t so unlikely after all.

As a huge movie fan, I’ve been watching the Chinese box office closely, and it’s amazing to see what’s happening! For a long time, it was a sure thing for Hollywood hits, but lately, China has been really championing its own films. It seemed like American superhero movies and Disney animations weren’t resonating as much, especially with some themes that didn’t quite fit the local culture. That’s why I was so thrilled to see Zootopia 2 absolutely crush it! It broke Disney’s opening day record in China with $34 million, which is incredible. It’s also the biggest opening for any American movie there since 2021, and one of the top ten biggest openings ever in China – a truly phenomenal achievement!

So far, Zootopia 2 has earned about $80 million, and it hasn’t even reached the weekend yet. In the U.S. alone, it’s made nearly $40 million. This makes it the third-biggest Disney movie opening of all time in the U.S., following Moana 2 ($57.9 million) and Frozen 2 ($42.2 million).

‘Zootopia 2’ Is an Almost Perfect Sequel

The movie is doing exceptionally well in theaters around the world, thanks to overwhelmingly positive reviews. In China, audiences have reacted similarly to those in other countries, and Zootopia 2 is already proving more popular than its original, even surpassing last year’s box office champion, Inside Out 2.

Critics have given Zootopia 2 a score of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, while audiences are even more enthusiastic, giving it a 96% rating – four points higher than the first Zootopia film. Ultimately, a movie’s success depends on how well audiences like it, and Zootopia 2 is poised to be Disney’s biggest hit of the year. It’s likely to surpass the earnings of Lilo & Stitch, and could even become the highest-grossing U.S. movie of 2025, unless James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash proves to be a bigger draw.

Okay, so normally a big opening weekend at the box office is followed by a pretty significant drop in ticket sales the next week. But if the buzz is true and Zootopia 2 really does pull in another half a billion dollars in the next few days, it could actually afford to lose a lot of viewers and still be on track to cross that coveted $1 billion mark. It’s a fascinating situation to watch, and it suggests this film has serious staying power.

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2025-11-28 15:34