Remember when everyone said the theatrical movie business was dying?
Yeah, me too. Then a certain bunny cop and her sly fox partner strolled back onto the screen and basically laughed at that idea all the way to the bank. As of today, Zootopia 2 is crossing the $1 billion mark globally, and honestly, it feels like the kind of milestone we haven’t celebrated in a while.
It’s not just a win for Disney. It’s a flashing neon sign that something big is shifting in what audiences actually want to watch together in a dark theater.
A Billion-Dollar Bunny Hop Nobody Saw Coming
When the first Zootopia came out in 2016 it made $1.02 billion and felt like lightning in a bottle – smart script, gorgeous animation, and a message that worked for kids and adults alike. Nine years later the sequel has done it again, and in a year when most studios are still trying to figure out post-pandemic life.
Heading into this weekend the numbers look like this: roughly $233 million domestic and a whopping $753 million overseas. That overseas figure is being absolutely carried by one market in particular.
China Fell Completely in Love (Again)
Almost $450 million of the international total has come from China. Let that sink in for a second.
In recent years Hollywood has been quietly sweating about access to the Chinese market. Quotas tightened, local blockbusters dominated, and plenty of big American titles never even got a release date. Yet here comes a cartoon rabbit and fox and suddenly the gates swing wide open.
The movie posted the biggest opening ever for a non-local animated film in China and became the highest-grossing imported animated title of all time in just five days. Five. Days.
“This milestone means the world to us, because more than anything it means audiences are coming to theaters for a shared experience… everyone together, from all walks of life around the world – and that is a Zootopia dream come true.”
Jared Bush – Chief Creative Officer, Walt Disney Animation Studios
When the creative head of the studio calls it a “dream come true,” you know the emotion in the room is real.
Only Three Movies Have Made It This Year
So far in 2025 only three movies worldwide have crossed the billion-dollar line:
- A massive Chinese animated sequel (Ne Zha 2 – $2.2 billion and counting)
- Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch remake
- And now Zootopia 2
That means out of the three billion-dollar babies this year, two are family-friendly Disney titles and one is a home-grown Chinese phenomenon. Superhero fatigue? Maybe. Family animation renaissance? Absolutely.
The PG Rating Is Quietly Taking Over
Here’s the stat that stopped me in my tracks this week.
In 2025, PG-rated movies have already generated $2.7 billion in the U.S. and Canada. PG-13 films? $2.5 billion. R-rated? $2.4 billion.
For the first time in modern history, the “family”kid movies”” are outright winning domestic box office. And remember – kids tickets cost less than adult tickets, so the actual number of butts in seats is even more lopsided.
“With PG-rated films it is often the kids who make the decision as to whether to hit the multiplex, and their influence can be seen directly in the numbers.”
Senior Comscore analyst
Translation: eight-year-olds are currently the most powerful movie critics on the planet.
Why Family Movies Suddenly Rule Everything
Several forces are colliding at once, and the result is a perfect storm for four-quadrant animated films.
- Parents are exhausted from years of streaming-at-home and actually crave the “event” of going to the theater with their kids.
- Animation has reached a visual quality where adults genuinely enjoy the ride (no more “I’m just here for the kids”).
- Word-of-mouth travels at light speed on TikTok and YouTube when kids love something.
- International markets, especially Asia, have an insatiable appetite for bright, colorful, uplifting stories.
- Studios finally realized that a good script beats spectacle every single time.
Put those together and you get movies like Zootopia 2 that play for weeks – sometimes months – because families keep coming back or bringing cousins, grandparents, and friends.
In my experience covering the industry, I can’t remember the last time a sequel felt this bullet-proof. Usually by week four or five the drops start getting steep. Not here. It’s holding like a Marvel movie from 2019.
What This Means for the Rest of 2025 and Beyond
Studio executives are almost certainly having emergency meetings right now.
Every greenlight decision for the next two years just got re-examined through the lens of “can this play to the entire family and travel globally?” That’s going to affect everything from budget allocation to marketing strategy to which scripts actually get made.
We’re probably looking at:
- More animated sequels to proven IP getting fast-tracked
- Live-action fairy tales and toy adaptations getting bigger swings
- R-rated adult dramas moving even faster to PVOD windows
- Renewed pressure on theater chains to make the family experience feel premium again (better seats, cleaner floors, affordable combos)
And honestly? I’m here for it. There’s something genuinely wholesome about watching an entire auditorium – kids, parents, teens, seniors – all laughing and gasping at the same moments. That shared experience was always the magic of cinema, and it feels like we’re getting it back in a big way.
Final Thought: Never Bet Against a Good Story
At the end of the day, the billion-dollar success of Zootopia 2 isn’t about animation technology or marketing spend or even perfect release timing.
It’s about a bunny who refuses to give up and a fox who learns to trust again. Turns out people all over the world – whether they’re in Shanghai, São Paulo, or Springfield – still show up in droves for hope, humor, and heart.
And if that isn’t the best news Hollywood has had in years, well, maybe a decade, I don’t know what is.
So next time someone tells you “nobody goes to the movies anymore,” just smile and say four words:
One. Billion. Dollars.
Case closed.
