A rabbit, a red fox, and the Witches of Oz walk into theatres…to score two much-needed wins for family films. Fresh off the Thanksgiving weekend in the U.S., Disney’s animated darling Zootopia 2 opened to a staggering USS$556 million at the global box office, with US$156 million coming from North America.
The sales figures rank as the biggest worldwide debut of all time for an animated film, and the fourth best of any Hollywood production, behind Avengers: Endgame, Avengers: Infinity War, and Spider-Man: No Way Home. In China, where the sequel secured the top animated opening of all time, it collected US$272 million, marking the biggest non-local launch since May 2021. Fellow Disney / Marvel tentpole Avengers: Endgame held the previous record with over US$300 million in 2019.
More impressively, Zootopia 2 already surpassed the lifetime grosses of its predecessor in the country within its first five days of release. The latter earned US$236 million at the Chinese box office during its theatrical run, but the opening of a Zootopia Land at Shanghai Disneyland has propelled its popularity to even greater heights. As it stands, the latest outing will likely become a billion-dollar hit – the first film debuted at just US$75 million and now has US$1.02 billion to its name, not adjusted for inflation.
The long-awaited buddy cop comedy sequel reunites optimistic young rabbit Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin, Once Upon a Time) and sly red fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman, Ozark), whose teamwork is put to the “ultimate test when they find themselves on the twisting trail of a mystery tied to the arrival of a venomous snake in the animal metropolis.”
Joining the pair are returning stars Idris Elba as Chief Bogo, Nate Torrence as Clawhauser, Jenny Slate as Bellweather, Alan Tudyk as Duke Weaselton, singer Shakira as Gazelle, Tommy Chong as Yax, Maurice LaMarche as Mr Big, and more.
Franchise newcomers include Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary) as a quokka psychologist, Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once) as a mysterious snake named Gary, and Fortune Feimster (The Mindy Project) as Nibbles the Beaver, with various other Disney alumni, such as Dwayne Johnson, Auliʻi Cravalho, Rachel House, and David Fane from Moana and Moana 2, Josh Gad from the Frozen duology, Anika Noni Rose from The Princess and the Frog, and Stephanie Beatriz, Wilmer Valderrama, and John Leguizamo from Encanto, due for cameo appearances in Zootopia 2.
Not to be outdone, Wicked: For Good continues its magical run at the box office by crossing the US$200 million mark in North America on Thanksgiving Day. It contributed another US$29.4 million domestically to a global haul of US$393.3 million in its second week, following a strong record-breaking performance that set a new debut record for a Broadway adaptation. The Universal follow-up is directed by original helmer Jon M. Chu, with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo reprising their role as the leading pair of Glinda and Elphaba, respectively.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
Natalie
