Zootopia 2 achieves the 4th biggest opening in cinema history

The last few days have been busy in cinemas around the world, and the big highlight was Zootopia 2. Disney’s new animation became the main success of the weekend, with a box office performance that left competitors behind and guaranteed impressive numbers worldwide.

Since the premiere on Wednesday, Zootopia 2 raised around US$156 million in the United Statesbeing US$96.8 million only on the traditional weekend. And the second biggest Thanksgiving holiday release in historyjust behind Moana 2which reached US$225 million in the same period in 2024.

The performance also surpassed that of Frozen 2released in 2019, which had made $125 million in five days. The first Zootopiareleased in 2016, had debuted with US$75 million and then surpassed the US$1 billion mark worldwide.

But the success of the sequel was even greater outside the United States. Zootopia 2 fez US$400 million in the international marketbeing US$ 272 million in China alonea historic record for a Hollywood film in the country. In total, the film already adds US$556 million globalranking among the biggest openings of all time.

Disney Entertainment executive Alan Bergman commented on the performance: “The success of Zootopia 2 shows the global reach of the story and the incredible work of our crew and cast.”he said.

Other holiday releases

In addition to Disney’s success, another big title also caught attention: Wicked: Parte IIfrom Universal. The musical did US$93 million in its second weekend in theaters. Although performance fell compared to the first part of Wickedthe film already adds US$270 million in the United States e US$393 million worldwide.

In total, all the films released during the holiday moved around US$293 millionan expressive number, but still below the record set in 2024, when the total was US$422 milliondriven by Moana 2, Wicked e Gladiator 2. Even so, the result placed 2025 as the fourth biggest Thanksgiving in cinema history.

The success of Zootopia in China

The performance of Zootopia 2 in China caught the attention of the industry. According to analyst David A. Gross, “China has been a tough market for American films over the past five years, but this one is breaking records”he explained.

The strength of the brand in the country is also related to the Zootopia Landa themed area opening in 2023 at the Disney park in Shanghai. Chinese audiences have a special affection for the characters, which helped boost box office performance.

What’s on display besides blockbusters

While Zootopia 2 e Wicked: Parte II dominated the big theaters, the weekend also had space for smaller premieres.

The supernatural comedy Eternityfrom A24, starring Elizabeth Olsen, raised US$5.2 million since Wednesday, placing sixth. Now the drama Hamnet: A Life Before Hamlet by Chloé Zhao, based on the story of Shakespeare’s son, made US$1.35 million and entered the top 10.

Another highlight was Dead or Alive: A Knives Out Mysteryfrom Netflix, which earned US$4 million in 600 cinemas, even without showing on major chains like AMC, Regal and Cinemark.

What’s next at the box office

With the success of Zootopia 2 e Wicked: Parte IIthe film market is trying to recover after an irregular year. Until now, the total US box office totals US$7.5 billionjust 1.3% above 2024.

Expectations are now focused on Avatar: Fire and Ashwhich premieres in December and should boost the end of the year.

According to Paul Dergarabedian, from Comscore, “The Thanksgiving holiday is one of the most important times of the year for cinemas”. He concluded by saying that, to beat the US$9 billion in 2025, “each film will need to do its part”.

At the current rate, it appears that Zootopia 2 has done more than yours.