‘Zootopia 2’ achieves an impressive feat in China and could break historic records

The box office performance of “Zootopia 2″ has proven to be one of the biggest and most surprising sensations of the year, especially in the international market. The long-awaited sequel to Disney’s animation, which arrived in Brazilian cinemas in November, is breaking important records in China, one of the largest and most influential film markets in the world.

According to reports from major press outlets, the film reached the mark of almost US$54 million (around R$260 million, at current prices) in just two days of showing in the Asian country. The initial performance is so impressive that the Disney animation has already broken pre-sale records, surpassing all previous releases of American animations in the country.

Chinese post-Covid record?

The resounding success of “Zootopia 2” in China is not just a milestone for animation, but for Hollywood as a whole. The film could become the highest-grossing Hollywood feature film in the country in the post-Covid era, with projections that it could exceed US$300 million in Chinese cinemas alone in its first weekend of release in the country.

This expectation puts the film ahead of giants like “Avatar: The Way of Water”, which grossed US$247 million in the post-pandemic period. Anticipation among Chinese audiences was high, with the animation reaching over 400,000 on Maoyan’s WTS anticipation metric, surpassing “Minions” to become the most anticipated Hollywood animated film of all time.

The film also got off to a strong start in the US and Canada, where it grossed $39 million between Tuesday and Wednesday. With this accelerated pace, there are those who bet that the production’s total worldwide box office could reach the US$1 billion mark, or even US$1.5 billion, repeating the feat of the original 2016 film.

Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde’s new adventure

From Disney, “Zootopia 2” continues the successful partnership between bunny police officer Judy Hopps and con artist fox Nick Wilde. In the new plot, the protagonists need to solve a case that takes them to unexpected parts of the metropolis, where their growing friendship and partnership are put to the test; remember the trailer: