Am I going to have to eat crow when I said that Zootopia 2 would not break $500 million globally in its first weekend? Well… probably not. But the Chinese zeal for Judy and Nick is so wild that anything just might be possible. And that’s why, after having spoken with a contact in the toy industry, we’re now confident Disney is planning to launch a huge push with this franchise. In fact, Zootopia might now be the company’s most important intellectual property.
Zootopia 2 has become an extraordinary box office success in China, delivering one of the most impressive performances for a Hollywood film in the market in recent years. Released under the title Crazy Animal City 2, the sequel opened along with the rest of the world and has shown tremendous momentum driven by strong advance buzz and a major launch event at Shanghai Disney Resort. On its first official day in Chinese theaters, the film earned roughly ¥228 million (about $32 million), or about ¥240 million ($33 million) including previews. This opening set a new record for the highest single-day gross ever for an imported animated film in China, and also the biggest opening day for any U.S. animated film in the country.
‘ZOOTOPIA 2’ has become the first Hollywood movie ever to pass $100M in a single day in China
‘AVENGERS: ENDGAME’ was the previous record-holder.
Read our review: https://t.co/mEILIdoyKU pic.twitter.com/se1Ez6ZKw0
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) November 29, 2025
The film’s performance accelerated even further in the days that followed. As of November 29, Zootopia 2 had already earned more than ¥1.2 billion (over $170 million) in China, and on one of its peak days achieved a staggering ¥552.7 million ($77 million) in a single day. That single-day haul surpassed the previous record set by Avengers: Endgame, making Zootopia 2 the highest single-day grossing imported film in Chinese history and the strongest non–Spring Festival day ever recorded.
Zootopia 2 is now significantly outpacing the original 2016 film, which finished with ¥1.538 billion in China. After only four days, the sequel had already topped ¥1.25 billion (around $174 million), and current projections estimate a potential finish as high as ¥3.82 billion (about $530 million). If those forecasts hold, the sequel would more than double the first film’s Chinese total and rank among the highest-grossing animated films ever released in the market. Audience response has played a major role in this momentum: the movie carries an exceptional 9.7 rating on Maoyan, one of the highest scores for a major imported release, and early global critics have similarly praised the sequel for maintaining the humor, world-building, and emotional resonance of the original.
‘ZOOTOPIA 2’ officially has a post-credit scene. pic.twitter.com/gbRsaGG6bQ
— Cartoon Base (@TheCartoonBase) November 26, 2025
The success of Zootopia 2 in China also reflects a highly effective marketing effort. Disney’s promotional push includes cross-brand collaborations, extensive merchandise tie-ins, and themed experiences connected to the Shanghai Disney Resort campaign, all contributing to the film’s status as a cultural event rather than just a release. This strategy has been particularly important in a market where Hollywood films have struggled in recent years as locally produced titles dominate. Zootopia 2’s breakout performance demonstrates that high-quality animated franchises still have massive potential when supported by strong storytelling and strategic marketing tailored to Chinese audiences.
The movie is not doing shabby in the United States where we now anticipate a $150M+ box office for the opening weekend. Still, even if you add $150M and $200M for China, the rest of the world would need to add in $150M+ for the film to break the $500M opening weekend mark globally… and that’s a very tall order.
Still, Zootopia 2 is now one of the biggest movies of all time, even adjusted for inflation. Disney CEO Bob Iger should be mailing Thank You cards to Beijing starting yesterday.
Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps at the police station in Zootopia 2 – YouTube, Disney
Now, according to a long-time source within the toy industry, we’re hearing that not only will a sequel go into a fast-track development cycle, but that there are unofficial messages making their way through third party partners of Disney that a full-blown trilogy (Zootopia 3, Zootopia 4, and Zootopia 5) is likely to be rushed into early development. Furthermore, our confidential source believes that Disney wants Zootopia 3 out before the end of 2029 and then would like sequels out every other year. This is seen as a critical property for re-securing Chinese markets for Disney, and we’re told it is of the highest importance to Iger… who may view the Chinese theme parks as his most important legacy long-term. According to our source, merchandise has not been a big part of Zootopia up until this point, but Disney may be interested in pushing the franchise up to Frozen levels of support globally, significantly focusing on Asia where animal plushies and other “cute toy lines” synergize well with the characters. We now believe you can expect a tremendous amount of merchandise support globally starting next year.
Disney desperately needed an answer to K-Pop Demon Hunters. Now they have it. And not only do they have their big answer to whether or not Disney can still globally dominate with an IP, they have answer that appeals equally to boys and girls. Get ready for non-stop Zootopia.
