UPDATE: People keep complaining about how the box office isn’t what it used to be, and how the pandemic pushed boomers toward streaming, but one crucial part of the equation is that, since 2020, China — the world’s second-largest box-office market — has effectively shut its doors to Hollywood.
It’s still debated why China has suddenly become such a lukewarm market for Hollywood, but the general theories revolve around heightened protectionism, political tension, and shifting audience tastes. Chinese regulators have drastically limited foreign film imports in favor of boosting domestic productions, especially nationalistic blockbusters that now dominate the market.
Still, “Zootopia 2” can now thank China for officially becoming the highest-grossing Hollywood animated movie of all time, with a worldwide total of $1.7 billion. It surpassed the previous record holder, “Inside Out 2,” which earned $1.6 billion in 2024. “Ne Zha 2” remains the highest grossing animated movie ever worldwide with $2.25 billion, and that’s with $2.25 billion of that amount coming from China.
Over 37% of the $1.7 billion that “Zootopia 2” has amassed so far has come from China alone, with more to come as the film continues to show strong legs there—even with “Avatar: Fire and Ash” playing in thousands of theaters. To date, the film has earned nearly $620M in that market.
By comparison, “Zootopia 2” has earned just $390 million in the United States, recently surpassing James Gunn’s “Superman” to become the third-highest-grossing domestic release of 2025. The only titles from last year to outgross “Zootopia 2” domestically are “Lilo & Stitch” and “Minecraft,” both with $423 million.
No matter how you look at it, and even with a few Marvel disasters, Disney enjoyed an exceptional 2025—standing alone as the only studio to surpass $6 billion at the global box office. Given the overwhelming demand in China, it’s safe to assume plans are already in motion for “Zootopia 3.”
When looking at the list of the highest-grossing animated films, it’s important to account for inflation—particularly in the case of “The Lion King.” Released in 1994, it was a massive cultural event in a way few, if any, of the other films on the list were. It earned $979 million three decades ago, which would be roughly $2.14 billion in today’s dollars when adjusted for inflation.
1. “Zootopia 2” $1.7 billion
2. “Inside Out 2” $1.69 billion
3. “The Lion King” (2019) $1.65 billion
4. “Frozen II” $1.62 billion
5. “The Super Mario Bros” $1.36 billion
6. “Frozen” $1.29 billion
7. “Incredibles 2” $1.24 billion
8. “Minions” $1.15 billion
9. “Toy Story 4” $1.07
10. “Toy Story 3” $1.06
Yes, ‘Doomsday’ was shot without a finalized script. It was being written as production rolled on. The screenplay was still under development on set, with daily rewrites and updates in progress.