"Zootopia 2" was the top-grossing film of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and set several box office records along the way. With less than one month to go in 2025, could the strong performance help put Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) into positive territory?
"Zootopia 2" Soars To Box Office Win
The highly anticipated sequel film "Zootopia 2" was the top-grossing film of the weekend, taking in $156 million domestically and $556 million globally during the long holiday weekend from Wednesday through Sunday.
The film set several records along the way. The film had the second-largest non-local opening in China, with $271 million at the box office, trailing only "Avengers: Endgame," according to Variety.
In China, the film is already the fourth-highest-grossing animated film ever and has surpassed the total $236 million box office of "Zootopia."
Helping the demand in China is the brand awareness from the first film and from the Zootopia Land, which opened at Shanghai Disneyland in 2023. The Chinese market has been a struggle for many American media companies in recent years and the strength of "Zootopia 2" in the region could significantly help Disney's box office strength for the sequel film.
In North America, "Zootopia 2" had the second biggest Thanksgiving weekend open of all time, trailing only "Moana 2" at $225 million.
With a total global opening of $556 million, the film is the fourth largest opening ever, trailing only "Avengers: Endgame," "Avengers: Infinity War," and "Spider-Man: No Way Home."
"The incredible response to ‘Zootopia 2' reflects both its worldwide appeal and the remarkable work of our filmmakers and cast," Disney Entertainment co-chair Alan Bergman said. "It's a proud moment for Disney Animation and all of us at Disney, not to mention a great way to start the holiday season."
Strong demand for "Zootopia 2" and "Wicked: For Good" also helped Imax Corp (NYSE:IMAX) over the Thanksgiving weekend. The premium movie theater company had its biggest ever Thanksgiving with $40.8 million in global ticket sales in five days, up 70% from last year's Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
"Zootopia 2" grossed $32 million on Imax screens, marking the biggest Thanksgiving title ever for Imax and the biggest November opening. The overall IMAX box office for "Zootopia 2" was $7.6 million domestic and $24.5 million internationally. A large portion ($20.5 million) of the overall IMAX box office total came from China.
Disney's Box Office Strength At Year End
"Zootopia 2" has strong ratings from critics and moviegoers, with a 7.7 score on IMDb and scores of 91% from critics and 95% from moviegoers on Rotten Tomatoes.
The movie could continue to perform well through the end of the year and crack the top 10 domestic grossers. Disney currently has three top 10-grossing movies and five top 15-grossing films domestically, according to BoxOfficeMojo:
- #2: "Lilo & Stitch" – $423.8 million
- #6: "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" – $274.3 million
- #9: "Captain America: Brave New World" – $200.5 million
- #11: "Thunderbolts" – $190.3 million
- #14: "Zootopia 2" – $156.0 million
Globally, "Zootopia 2" is already ranked 10th in 2025, giving Disney two top 10-grossing films and five top 15-grossing films.
Following the success of "Zootopia 2," Disney could have another top hit in 2025 with the Dec. 19 release of "Avatar: Fire and Ash."
This marks the third installment in the Avatar franchise. Here are the past results from the other two films:
- “Avatar” (2009): $785.2 million domestic, $2.14 billion international, $2.92 billion worldwide
- “Avatar: The Way of Water: (2022): $688.5 million domestic, $1.65 billion international, $2.34 billion worldwide
The two films rank among the top 10 highest-grossing movies both domestically and worldwide. “Avatar” ranks fourth domestically and first globally for all-time gross, while “Avatar: The Way of Water” ranks seventh domestically and third globally for all-time gross.
While “Zootopia 2” and “Avatar: Fire and Ash” won’t factor into Disney’s earnings until results are reported in 2026, strong box office could lead to increased optimism for Disney stock heading into the new year and a potential short-term rally in the shares.
Looking past the final two months, Disney is also building quite the 2026 lineup, which currently includes its first theatrical Star Wars film since 2019 with “Mandalorian and Grogu” coming. “Toy Story 5” and a live-action “Moana” also add to the 2026 excitement.
The year could be anchored by “Avengers: Doomsday,” set for release in December 2026 and featuring many past Marvel characters. Past Avengers films rank among the highest-grossing films of all time.
Disney Stock Trails In 2025
Disney stock is up 0.7% to $105.15 on Monday versus a 52-week trading range of $80.10 to $124.69. Disney shares are down 5.0% year-to-date in 2025.
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