“Zootopia 2” stormed the box office with a massive and history-making opening weekend. Disney’s sequel to the animated hit earned $96 million in North America from Friday to Sunday, collected $156 million over the five-day Thanksgiving stretch, and reached an astonishing $556 million worldwide since opening on Wednesday, according to studio estimates released Sunday.
The sequel now holds the record for the biggest international opening for an animated film, the fourth-largest global debut ever, and the strongest overseas launch of 2025.
Universal Pictures’ “Wicked: For Good” continued to soar in its second weekend, bringing in another $62.8 million domestically for a North American total of $270.4 million. Internationally, the film has reached $393 million.
Together, the two PG-rated sequels turned Thanksgiving weekend into a rare bright spot in what has otherwise been a sluggish year for theaters. The five-day holiday frame hit $290 million overall, with $188 million from the traditional Friday-through-Sunday period.
Whether this signals a turnaround—or just a brief upswing—remains to be seen. Major releases like “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” are still looming later in 2025.
“This is an excellent result and a huge confidence boost for the box office heading into the last month of the year,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore.
Arriving nearly ten years after the original, “Zootopia 2” reunites Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) in another adventure through their bustling, animal-filled metropolis. Dergarabedian said the film delivered exactly what fans around the world were hoping for from the franchise.
It also posted the sixth-largest domestic opening of 2025. But its standout performance came from China, which drove nearly half the global total with an extraordinary $272 million. No U.S. animated film has ever debuted bigger in China, and it ranks as the second-largest opening for a non-Chinese movie there, trailing only “Avengers: Endgame.”
Such results used to be common for Hollywood, but in recent years, strained geopolitics and tighter Chinese censorship have made the market unpredictable. While a few franchises—like “Jurassic World”—still break through, most studios have significantly lowered expectations.
The blockbuster Chinese turnout for “Zootopia 2” could be a one-off or a sign of improving conditions. The original film, called “Crazy Animal City” in China, became an unexpected sensation, earning $236 million there. Shanghai Disneyland also features a themed land based on the franchise, helping fuel its popularity.
Meanwhile, “Wicked: For Good” held its ground despite the competition. Universal’s decision to split the Broadway adaptation into two films continues to pay dividends, generating a global weekend take of $92.2 million.
Another notable performer was “Hamnet,” which is expected to be a major awards contender. After a strong festival run, it opened in limited release but still cracked the top 10, earning $1.35 million across 119 theaters from Wednesday to Sunday, including $880,000 over the weekend—a per-theater average of more than $11,000. Director Chloé Zhao’s Shakespeare-inspired drama starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal expands next week.
Top 10 films at the domestic box office
(Estimated ticket sales for Friday–Sunday in the U.S. and Canada, per Comscore)
“Zootopia 2,” $96.8 million
“Wicked: For Good,” $62.8 million
“Now You See Me: Now You Don’t,” $7 million
“Predator: Badlands,” $4.8 million
“The Running Man,” $3.7 million
“Eternity,” $3.2 million
“Rental Family,” $2.1 million
“Hamnet,” $880,000
“Sisu: Road to Revenge,” $810,000
“Nuremberg,” $749,325