Rabbits, foxes and snakes, oh my! “Zootopia 2” is officially the highest-grossing Hollywood release of the year. Disney’s animal-filled animated sequel grossed a staggering $1.13 billion worldwide after 20 days of release, surpassing Disney’s live-action remake “Lilo & Stitch” with $1.03 billion. A non-Motion Picture Association (MPA) film, Chinese animated blockbuster “Ne Zha 2,” remains the biggest release of 2025 with $1.9 billion.
Another Disney juggernaut, James Cameron’s epic “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” could challenge for the 2025 crown, given that its predecessors were $2 billion-grossing sensations. However, the trio opens on December 19 and will likely bring in the majority of its money in the following calendar year.
On Friday, “Zootopia 2” surpassed the $1 billion mark after 17 days in theaters, making it the fastest PG film to reach that milestone. The sequel is the seventh-biggest animated film in history, surpassing 2016’s original “Zootopia” ($1.025 billion worldwide) and last year’s “Moana 2” ($1.06 billion).
Over the weekend, “Zootopia 2” added a staggering $131.1 million from 52 territories in its third release, bringing its overseas total to $877 million. It will soon become the second animated film in history to exceed $1 billion at the international box office, after “Inside Out 2.” The follow-up film was particularly massive in China with $502 million and counting, ranking behind 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” ($632 million) as the country’s biggest MPA release. These ticket sales are notable because Chinese audiences have not been receptive to Hollywood fare in years.
Another Disney film, “Ella McCay,” directed by James L. Brooks, cemented some bad kinds of records for the studio over the weekend as the political comedy-drama flopped with $300,000 from five territories. That doesn’t represent a large international footprint, of course, but the PG-13 film also flopped in North America with $2.1 million, making it the lowest start in modern times for Disney. Worldwide, “Ella McCay” grossed just $2.4 million against a budget of $35 million. With weak reviews and mediocre audience scores, the film is unlikely to bounce back in the coming weeks. Fortunately, “Avatar: Fire and Ash” should end the studio’s year on a high note.
