'Zootopia 2' roars to record-breaking openings in China, worldwide

Walt Disney Animation Studios' "Zootopia 2" has been on a record-smashing streak since its debut on Nov. 26, delivering an impressive $556 million global opening — including a record 1.92 billion yuan ($272 million) in China over the past weekend and Thanksgiving holiday.

A still from "Zootopia 2." [Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Animation Studios]

The film achieved an exceptional performance in China — with the country becoming its largest single market —shattering multiple box office records, with sold-out theaters packed with children and adults. Just five days after its release, it became the highest-grossing imported animated film of all time in China, surpassing the 1.53-billion-yuan total of its predecessor "Zootopia" from 2016.

The animated film scored the highest opening for an animated non-local title and the seventh-highest opening overall in Chinese box office history. It currently ranks as the fourth-highest grossing animated film of all time in China. Its opening is the second-best for a non-local film, behind only "Avengers: Endgame" from 2019.

"Zootopia 2" also set the highest single-day gross for a foreign title, earning 738 million yuan on its fourth day, a Saturday, which also ranks as the ninth-highest single-day gross of all time across all films local and non-local.

China's major ticketing platform Maoyan now predicts its total run will reach 4.25 billion yuan. This gives it a strong chance to surpass the entire theatrical run of "Avengers: Endgame" and become the highest-grossing foreign film of all time in China.

The five-day North American opening for "Zootopia 2" reached $156 million. With an astonishing $400 million from international markets, it achieved a record global start of $556 million. This is the biggest worldwide opening of all time for an animated film.

"The incredible response to 'Zootopia 2' reflects both its worldwide appeal and the remarkable work of our filmmakers and cast," said Alan Bergman, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment. "It is a proud moment for Disney Animation and all of us at Disney, not to mention a great way to start the holiday season."

"Zootopia 2," which features the voice talents of Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Ke Huy Quan and numerous celebrity cameos including Josh Gad, Dwayne Johnson and Disney CEO Bob Iger, scored the fourth-highest global opening of all time. It is the biggest global debut of 2025 and the largest global animated film opening ever. The Walt Disney Company now holds four of the top five global animated film openings — including the top three overall.

"Overwhelmed by the incredible responses to 'Zootopia 2'," wrote Jared Bush, chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios and the writer and director of "Zootopia 2," on social platform X on Sunday. "From our dream cast, to the most incredible score by Michael Giacchino, to the greatest crew we could ever ask for, this movie was created by hundreds of people who filled every frame with their talent, passion and heart. Thank you to all of the fans. Taking some family time, see you all very soon."

The film, which was co-directed by Bush and Byron Howard, also achieved the highest global opening for any animated title in Disney history. It is one of the biggest Disney features in terms of its characters, environments and overall complexity. A total of 697 crewmembers worked on the film. The ending credits screen for "Zootopia 2" even features the line: "A film by everyone at Disney Animation."

"There is something about animals that people can read themselves into," Bush said. "The real fun thing about Zootopia is that you can identify with an animal. That is you, that is your friend, that is your teacher, that is a guy you saw at the DMV(Department of Motor Vehicles). There is something very universal about that."

Building on the success of the original film, which earned over $1 billion globally in 2016 and won the Oscar for best animated feature, "Zootopia 2" surged to a global opening 239% ahead of its predecessor. It is safe to assume that Walt Disney Animation Studios has another billion-dollar hit on its hands.

This performance underscores the enduring strength of the franchise and the universal appeal of its characters and world, which extends across multiple segments of Disney's business, including experiences and consumer products. In China, it answered the enthusiasm of the Chinese audience with dazzling marketing campaigns, launching over 2,000 licensed "Zootopia"-themed product variants by the end of this year and opening a spectacular Zootopia-themed land at Shanghai Disneyland in 2023.

Premium large formats also reported good news. For example, IMAX China announced on Monday that "Zootopia 2" opened to a roaring box office of $20.5 million in IMAX theaters during its five-day debut in China. The film tore through all IMAX China records for a Hollywood animated release, setting new highs for midnight showings, opening-day box office and opening-weekend performance. It also marked the strongest five-day debut ever for an imported animated title, and achieved the second-highest opening weekend of all time for an animated film in China, trailing only "Ne Zha 2."

Fireworks explode above the Zootopia-themed land at Shanghai Disneyland after "Zootopia 2" premiere and world celebration in Shanghai, Nov. 18, 2025. [Photo/China.org.cn]

"The extraordinary momentum behind 'Zootopia 2' speaks to the strength and enduring potential of China's theatrical market," said Daniel Manwaring, CEO of IMAX China. "When a film truly connects with audiences, it creates an energy that transcends a single genre, and the IMAX experience anchors that connection with a sense of immediacy and heightened emotional impact that audiences value."

The record-breaking debut of "Zootopia 2" now anchors the holiday theatrical season, setting the stage for an unforgettable finish to 2025 in the global film market. It also provides strong support for the Chinese film market to reach its 50-billion-yuan milestone for total annual box office. With "Avatar: Fire & Ash" from 20th Century Studios arriving on Dec. 19 in China and worldwide, Disney is positioned for a powerful one-two punch to close out the year.