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Zootopia 2 Dominates Thanksgiving Box Office with Record Animated Launch

Zootopia 2 topped the North American Thanksgiving box office with $156 million across the five-day holiday and $556 million globally, marking a record launch for an animated film, according to industry trackers. The sequel reunites Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman and Idris Elba. Analyst David A. Gross noted that Disney/Pixar sequels often open significantly bigger — roughly 71% on average. Universal's Wicked: For Good placed second with $93 million, while Now You See Me: Now You Don't took third with $10 million in North America.

01:07 AM, 12/01/2025Culture
Zootopia 2 Dominates Thanksgiving Box Office with Record Animated Launch

Disney's feel-good sequel Zootopia 2 led North America's Thanksgiving box office, earning $156 million over the five-day holiday weekend, industry estimates show. The buddy-cop animated comedy, which follows a diverse cast of talking animals confronting stereotypes, is the highly anticipated follow-up to the 2016 original that won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

Returning voice talent includes Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman and Idris Elba. The sequel's strong debut was bolstered by robust international receipts, with global ticket sales reaching $556 million — a figure industry trackers described as the largest-ever global launch for an animated film.

"This is an outstanding opening for an animation follow-up sequel," said David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. "On average, Disney and Pixar sequels open about 71% bigger than the originals."

Weekend box office highlights

Following Zootopia 2 in the North American charts were several high-profile releases:

  • Wicked: For Good — $93 million (second place). The musical sequel continues the story of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande), adapted from the Broadway show based on Gregory Maguire's novel.
  • Now You See Me: Now You Don't — $10 million (third). The latest Lionsgate entry reunites Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco and Woody Harrelson as illusionists targeting criminals.
  • Predator: Badlands — $6.6 million (fourth).
  • The Running Man — $5.5 million (fifth). Paramount's new take on a dystopian game-show thriller stars Glen Powell and draws on Stephen King's novel.

Rounding out the top 10 were: Eternity ($5.2 million); Rental Family ($3.1 million); Nuremberg ($1.1 million); Sisu: Road to Revenge ($1.0 million); and Regretting You ($705,000).

The weekend's results underscore the continued commercial strength of established franchises and family-friendly animation during major holiday periods, and point to solid international demand that helped lift several titles' global tallies.

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