Zootopia 2 Rockets Past Half a Billion Dollars Thanks to Explosive Chinese Box Office Opening

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Disney has achieved a major international success with the release of Zootopia 2 in 2025. Many thought the franchise had been inactive for too long, but the sequel has become a global hit, earning over half a billion dollars in its opening five days, largely due to incredibly strong ticket sales in China.

The new movie opened with massive success, earning $272 million in China over just five days. This makes it the second-highest-grossing opening weekend for an American film in the country, behind only Avengers: Endgame.

The film’s success continued, with projections from Maoyan, a local box-office tracker, estimating that Zootopia 2 could earn up to $590 million in China. This would make it one of the highest-grossing foreign films ever released in China, and confirms the country’s major role in the sequel’s impressive global opening.

China’s Love for Zootopia Pays Off Big for Disney

Disney’s success with Zootopia wasn’t a fluke. They strategically expanded the franchise internationally, notably by launching the first Zootopia-themed area at Shanghai Disney Resort in late 2023. This new attraction was a huge hit and created a lot of excitement for the upcoming sequel.

The excitement surrounding the movie clearly boosted ticket sales. Chinese social platforms have overwhelmingly praised it – with scores of 9.7 on Maoyan and 8.6 on Douban, which are exceptionally high ratings for a foreign animated film. This is Disney’s best initial response from the region in years, demonstrating that audiences will turn out in large numbers when they genuinely connect with the content.

As a huge Disney fan, I was really fascinated to see they premiered Zootopia 2 at Shanghai Disney Resort – it was a massive event with the voice actors there and tons of press covering it. It felt like a smart move to build buzz, and honestly, it seemed to really work! You could tell Disney execs were hoping they could use that same successful strategy for all their other franchises.

A Much-Needed Win for the House of Mouse

The movie has received fantastic reviews from both critics and audiences, leading to a huge opening weekend worldwide with $556 million in ticket sales. This success isn’t just a win for Disney; it proves that high-quality animated films can still be major cultural events.

This film is a much-needed success for the studio. Disney has struggled recently with some of its franchises and connecting with audiences worldwide. However, Zootopia 2 proves that a sequel with a fresh feel, compelling characters, and broad appeal – one that avoids controversial themes and embraces international collaboration – can recapture the magic Disney is known for.

What Comes Next for Disney and the Box Office?

The next Avatar film, Fire and Ash, is set to release in 2025 and is predicted to be hugely popular in China, where the first Avatar was a massive success. Following the strong performance of Zootopia 2, Disney might be regaining its footing in theaters, and is clearly prioritizing content that meets Chinese censorship requirements.

The success of Zootopia 2 isn’t just about the impressive over $500 million it’s earned; it shows that audiences around the world still love Disney when it delivers a great movie. This feels like Disney’s first truly big animated hit of the year, and it could change what people expect from animated films overall.

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2025-12-01 15:56