‘Zootopia 2’ breaks box office record in China

The film “Zootopia 2”from Disney, grossed US$269 million in its opening week in mainland China, becoming the highest box office gross for a foreign animation in the country’s history.

Released on November 26, the sequel to the 2016 blockbuster accounted for 91% of total box office revenue in mainland China in the week ending Sunday (Nov 30, 2025), according to official data. Mainland China has established itself as the main market for the film, surpassing North America in ticket sales.

The film’s smash performance significantly boosted Disney’s operations in mainland China and single-handedly lifted the country’s November box office to its highest level since 2020.

The film boosted total weekly box office revenue to $297 million, a 356% increase from the previous week, according to the National Film Industry Special Development Fund Management Committee Office. In just 5 days, “Zootopia 2” surpassed its predecessor’s box office total of US$218 million, “Zootopia”. It also claimed the title of best-selling foreign comedy in mainland China and set a new record for pre-sales of animated films, surpassing the local box office success “Ne Zha 2”.

Although the film grossed $156 million in North America, its performance in mainland China was dominant. Globally, the film grossed $810 million. Beacon, a box office data platform, reports that audiences aged 24 and under represented 28% of viewers, highlighting the film’s strong appeal to young audiences and families. The film reached its peak occupancy of 38.6% on Saturday (Nov 29).

Directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard, the sequel brings together police officers Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde to solve a mystery involving reptiles.

Boosted by the sequel, the total box office in mainland China in November reached US$500 million, the highest for the month since 2020. Chen Jin, an analyst at Beacon, said the projection is that “Zootopia 2” reach a total collection of US$381 million. The expectation is that the annual box office will exceed US$7 billion, driven by releases scheduled for December, such as “Avatar: Fire and Ash”.

This report was originally published in English by Caixin Global on December 1, 2025. It was translated and republished by Poder360 under mutual content sharing agreement.