Disney’s animated sequel just hit a massive milestone that only one other Hollywood film managed this year.
“Zootopia 2” reclaimed the top spot at domestic box offices in its third weekend, pulling in $26.3 million while crossing the coveted $1 billion mark worldwide.
The achievement comes during a relatively quiet weekend in theaters, with no major new releases ahead of “Avatar: Fire and Ash” arriving this Friday.
According to studio estimates released Sunday, the Walt Disney Co. sequel has now amassed an impressive $1.14 billion in global ticket sales—making it only the second Hollywood film of 2025 to reach this benchmark.
China Powers “Zootopia 2” to Historic Success
The sequel’s billion-dollar achievement owes significant credit to its explosive performance in China, where it’s collected a staggering $502.4 million.
That makes “Zootopia 2” the biggest Hollywood hit in China in years—a remarkable feat in a market where domestic productions typically dominate. The film’s Chinese box office alone accounts for nearly half of its worldwide gross.
Only Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” remake managed to join “Zootopia 2” in the billion-dollar club among 2025 Hollywood releases, with $1.04 billion worldwide. However, the year’s highest-grossing film overall remains the Chinese blockbuster “Ne Zha 2,” which collected nearly $2 billion exclusively in China.
“Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” Holds Strong Despite Sharp Drop
The Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions horror sequel secured second place with $15.4 million in its sophomore weekend.
While the 70% drop from its opening weekend might seem brutal, “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” remains a major victory for Blumhouse. With a domestic total of $95.5 million against a modest $36 million production budget, the film has already proven highly profitable.
The success adds another valuable horror franchise to Blumhouse’s expanding portfolio, demonstrating the studio’s continued mastery of the genre.
James L. Brooks’ “Ella McCay” Stumbles in Wide Release
The weekend’s most notable new arrival proved disappointing. “Ella McCay,” directed by James L. Brooks in his first film in 15 years, earned just $2.1 million from 2,500 locations.
The performance ranks among 2025’s worst wide releases—a painful result for a film that cost $35 million to produce.
The comic drama follows a 34-year-old woman played by newcomer Emma Mackey who becomes governor of her home state. Despite a supporting cast featuring Jamie Lee Curtis, Ayo Edebiri, and Woody Harrelson, audiences stayed away.
Critics weren’t kind either, with “Ella McCay” earning just 22% “fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes. Box-office expectations remained low heading into the weekend, as the kind of award-winning comic dramas Brooks specialized in with classics like “Terms of Endearment” and “Broadcast News” rarely find large theatrical audiences today.
Holiday Corridor Represents Hollywood’s Last Hope for 2025
Overall ticket sales for 2025 are running close to even with last year’s disappointing grosses, according to Comscore data.
Hollywood now pins its hopes on the coming holiday corridor—traditionally the busiest moviegoing period—to end the year on a high note. The slate looks promising, with several major releases scheduled:
- “Avatar: Fire and Ash” arrives Friday as the most anticipated release
- “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” targets family audiences
- “Marty Supreme” offers prestige drama potential
- “Anaconda” brings creature-feature thrills
- “Song Sung Blue” rounds out holiday options
Weekend Box Office Breakdown
According to studio estimates for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, the top performers were:
- “Zootopia 2” — $26.3 million
- “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” — $19.5 million
- “Wicked: For Good” — $8.6 million
- “Dhurandhar” — $3.5 million
- “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” — $2.4 million
- “Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution” — $2.1 million
- “Ella McCay” — $2.1 million
- “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000) — $1.9 million
- “Eternity” — $1.8 million
- “Hamnet” — $1.5 million
Final domestic figures will be released Monday, potentially adjusting these preliminary estimates.
With “Zootopia 2” continuing its dominant run and “Avatar: Fire and Ash” poised to make waves, Disney appears positioned to finish 2025 strong. Whether other studios can compete during the crucial holiday period remains the industry’s biggest question heading into year’s end.