After experiencing a series of ups and downs at the box office in 2025, Disney has had much to celebrate this holiday season. As Avatar: Fire and Ash begins what should be a lucrative theatrical run, Zootopia 2 continues to clean up at the multiplex. The critically acclaimed animated sequel blew past the $1 billion mark in record time, giving the Mouse House a much-needed win. Though Fire and Ash is the main attraction right now, and there are some notable new arrivals coming out on Christmas Day, Zootopia 2 remains a sizable draw. For proof, look no further than its latest impressive box office accomplishment.
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According to Variety, Zootopia 2 is up to $1.3 billion at the worldwide box office, roughly a month into its run. A whopping $993 million of that total has come from international markets, putting Zootopia 2 on track to earn $1 billion overseas. Once that happens, it will become just the second animated film in history to achieve that feat. The first was another blockbuster Disney sequel: last year’s Inside Out 2.
Zootopia 2‘s Box Office Performance Explained
Zootopia 2 was always expected to perform well at the box office. Going into the holiday season, it was one of a few titles remaining on the calendar that had a realistic shot at $1 billion. What’s more surprising is the path Zootopia 2 took to get to this point. The film’s international numbers got a significant boost thanks to record-breaking pre-sales in China, an arguably unforeseen development. A handful of years ago, the Chinese box office was very important for Hollywood productions, but it’s been a less-reliable source of income this decade. Zootopia 2 has fared like a pre-COVID film in China, totaling $539.1 million in just that country alone.
Whether or not Zootopia 2 brings about a resurgence for Hollywood movies in China remains to be seen, but Disney is thrilled global audiences turned out in full force for the animated sequel. If not for the strong showing in China, Zootopia 2 might not have hit $1 billion yet. The film has done well domestically, earning $287.5 million to date (good enough for sixth place on the yearly chart), but that figure is still a little behind the 2016 original ($341.2 million). With a $150 million production budget, it’s not as if China saved Zootopia 2 from being a box office bomb, but it made the difference between being a decent hit and a monumental one.
Zootopia is now firmly established as one of Disney’s most popular franchises, so planning out Zootopia 3 will be the next order of business. A third installment has not been officially added to the release calendar yet, but when one considers the monumental Zootopia 2 box office and the sequel’s post-credits teaser, it’s all but guaranteed there will be another movie in this series. After the box office year Disney had, when old reliables like Marvel and Pixar underwhelmed, it would be foolish to shelve one of the studio’s surest bets. Hopefully it isn’t another nine-year wait for Zootopia 3.
Right now, Zootopia 2 is actually the highest-grossing American release of 2025. It has no shot of catching Ne Zha 2 ($2.15 billion) for the top spot, but it will be interesting to see if it can hold on to the No. 2 position from here on out. Avatar: Fire and Ash will be a formidable challenger; the first two entries in James Cameron’s sci-fi franchise easily crossed $2 billion. That said, Fire and Ash is lagging behind Avatar: The Way of Water after its first week, meaning another $2 billion haul isn’t guaranteed. Until we see how Fire and Ash holds over the next few weeks, Zootopia 2 has an outside shot of beating it.
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