Disney’s Zootopia 2 hits $1 billion at global box office

Walt Disney Company She made her second billion-dollar film of 2025 with the help of a determined rabbit and a mischievous fox.

Zootopia is set to surpass $2 billion at the global box office on Friday, according to company estimates, joining the live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch as the only Hollywood film to surpass the benchmark this year. Heading into the weekend, the film had grossed $232.7 million domestically and $753.4 million from international markets.

“This achievement means the world to us, because more than anything it means that audiences are coming to theaters for the shared experience of watching this movie on the big screen, everyone together, from all walks of life around the world — and this is a Zootopia dream come true,” Jared Bush, chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios, wrote in a statement on Friday.

The only other film to cross the $1 billion mark this year is Chinese film “Ne Zha 2,” which has collected $2.2 billion since its release in January, according to data from Comscore.

“As global market trends have evolved in recent years, reaching $1 billion has become new again,” Sean Robbins, director of analytics at Fandango and founder of Box Office Theory, told CNBC.

He also noted the importance of the film’s “amazing success in China.” Nearly $450 million of Zootopia 2’s gross has come from the region so far, a huge number considering China has reduced the number of American films it allows in its theaters and has threatened to restrict more due to escalating tariffs.

Disney reported that “Zootopia 2” had the highest-grossing animated opening ever for a non-domestic title in China and broke the record for the highest-grossing non-domestic animated film of all time within 5 days of its release in the country.

The film’s $1 billion revenue also highlights the shift in the local theatrical market. PG-rated family films have outperformed PG-13 and R-rated films at the box office in 2025. So far, PG-rated films released this year have grossed $2.7 billion in the United States and Canada, while PG-13 films have grossed $2.5 billion, and R-rated films have collected $2.4 billion.

This shift began in 2024 when PG-rated films sold more tickets domestically than any other first-time rated film ever. PG-13-rated movies have dominated the space for decades, according to data from Comscore.

“With PG-rated movies, kids are often the ones making the decision about which multiplex to show, and their influence can be seen directly in the category numbers, which have reached all-time highs over the past two years,” said Paul Dergarabedian, head of market trends at Comscore. “What is equally impressive is that most tickets to PG films sold are at a lower kid-friendly price, so reaching these huge box office milestones is made all the more impressive.”

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