Walt Disney Co.’s Zootopia 2, an animated feature about a rabbit cop and her crime-fighting partner, brought in $156 million at the US and Canadian box office over the Thanksgiving weekend, making it the No. 1 film.
The five-day haul compared with expectations of at least $125 million from industry tracker Boxoffice Pro.
A sequel to a 2016 picture — about a rabbit and a fox who become partners at the police force in a city inhabited by mammals — Zootopia 2 marks a bright spot for Disney’s animation unit. The performance follows a number of disappointments in recent years, including Wish and Strange World.
It’s also welcome news for theater chains that had been starved for blockbusters through most of the fall until the release of Wicked: For Good from Comcast Corp.’s Universal Pictures on Nov. 21.
The film achieved the highest global opening for any animated picture in Disney’s history with a haul of $556 million worldwide. It’s the biggest animated opening of all time in China, excluding local films, the company said.
Disney’s film division, led by Alan Bergman, is the second-highest grossing distributor at the domestic box office in 2025 after Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.’s movie studio.
Zootopia 2 also builds momentum for Disney ahead of the debut of James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third installment in a franchise that counts two of the bestselling films in Hollywood history.
Disney is scheduled to release Avatar on Dec. 19, collecting only a couple weeks of box-office revenue before the quarter ends.
Because of the timing and spending to promote films, Disney said in November that studio earnings in the current quarter would be reduced by $400 million.
