Zootopia 2 breaks records in China with revenue of US$275 million

Disney’s Zootopia 2 has become the highest-grossing foreign animated film in China, despite generally reduced interest in foreign films in the country.

On Monday morning Beijing time, box office tracker Maoyan showed that Zootopia 2’s local box office reached 1.95 billion yuan ($275.6 million) in its first six days of release.

“It’s the most important Disney film in China this year, for sure,” said Ashley Dudarenok, founder of Chinese digital consultancy Chozan, with themes of personal resilience and social harmony resonating with local audiences.

Its smash success in China — where sales of Zootopia 2 accounted for about 95% of all movie ticket sales on its opening weekend — is particularly notable considering the changing environment for foreign films in China in the nine years since the release of the first Zootopia film.

The original Zootopia also became China’s most popular foreign animated film when it was released in 2016.

Hollywood films have been affected this year by the trade war between China and the US. Beijing reduced the number of American films that could be shown in China in retaliation for higher tariffs on Chinese goods — a move that analysts said would have limited impact given the dwindling influence of foreign films in China.