Zootopia 2 Surpasses $1.13B, Becomes 2025’s Top-Grossing Film Worldwide

Disney’s animated sequel “Zootopia 2” became 2025’s highest-grossing film over the weekend, racing past $1.13 billion in global ticket sales less than three weeks after its November 26 release. The family adventure dethroned Disney’s own live‑action “Lilo & Stitch,” which had led the yearly rankings since May. variety +1

The film crossed the $1 billion mark just 17 days into its run, the fastest PG‑rated movie in history to hit that milestone and the quickest Hollywood animated feature ever to do so. deadline +2 In North America, it collected $156 million over its first five days in theaters, while strong turnout in China and other key overseas markets pushed its opening worldwide haul above $550 million. nytimes +1

How “Zootopia 2” Roared Back the Box Office

“Zootopia 2” opened on November 26, 2025, and quickly became the year’s breakout holiday hit after a sluggish run for earlier animated releases. amctheatres +1 By its second weekend, the film had already reached about $916 million worldwide; it returned to No. 1 in its third weekend with roughly $26 million in North America as other new releases stumbled. deadline +1

Industry trackers estimated a China opening above $200 million, helping fuel its rapid ascent past the $900 million and then $1 billion thresholds. hollywoodreporter +1 Globally, the film has now reached about $1.137 billion, surpassing the original “Zootopia” (which earned just over $1 billion in 2016) in both worldwide and overseas grosses in a fraction of the time. cleveland +1

Analysts said the film’s performance made it only the second Hollywood title of 2025 to cross $1 billion, joining an earlier Disney release, and the third movie of the year overall to reach that figure. cnbc +1

Reviews, Audience Buzz and What Comes Next

Critics generally welcomed the sequel as a crowd‑pleasing return to the mammal metropolis, with early reviews highlighting “uproariously funny” set pieces and “visually dazzling” animation, even as some argued it lacked the original’s subtle charm and sharper social commentary. hollywoodreporter +2 One reviewer described it as coming on “too strong,” leaning heavily on noise and breakneck pacing. seattletimes

Audience response, however, remained robust, with family turnout and repeat business driving weekday sales. The film also broke a seven‑year slump for Disney by debuting with one of the studio’s strongest Rotten Tomatoes scores for an animated feature since the mid‑2010s. imdb

Disney has not disclosed the exact production and marketing budget, but outside estimates projected a large‑scale campaign comparable to other recent billion‑dollar animated hits. movieweb The studio is expected to keep “Zootopia 2” exclusively in theaters through the holiday corridor, with projections placing its Disney+ streaming debut in February or March 2026, mirroring the release window used for “Frozen II.” superherohype +2

With several weeks of peak holiday moviegoing still ahead, box‑office forecasters say “Zootopia 2” could extend its lead as 2025’s top‑grossing film, reinforcing Disney Animation’s franchise strategy and solidifying Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde as one of the decade’s most bankable screen duos. variety +2