“Zootopia 2” hit the $990M worldwide mark this morning. It’s going to hit $1 billion by tonight, making it only the second Hollywood movie to do so this year, the other being “Lilo & Stitch” ($1.03 billion).
What is most intriguing is that “Zootopia 2” has actually only grossed $236M domestically. Much of its profits are coming in from China, where it’s nearing the $500M mark. The Chinese sure love their Zootopia.
In fact, just as another example of how immense its Chinese success has been, “Zootopia 2” is only the ninth highest-grossing movie in the U.S. this year. It’s come to the point where a third movie will, in all likelihood, get greenlit by Disney solely because of China.
Since 2020, China practically closed its doors to Hollywood, and the lucky few films that did make it through the Great Wall haven’t necessarily brought in big numbers. The biggest Hollywood movie in China this year was “Jurassic World Rebirth” at $79M.
Remember when, back in August, we learned “The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth” would be playing in only around 350 U.S. theaters, "maybe fewer"? Well, it's fewer. A lot fewer.