The cumulative box office revenue for Disney's "Zootopia 2" had raced past 2 billion yuan (about 280 million U.S. dollars) in China by the evening of Monday, its sixth day in theaters.
This already surpasses takings for the first "Zootopia," which had a final total box office revenue of 1.538 billion yuan in China nine years ago, making the sequel the highest-grossing imported animated film in China's history. It is also the first imported title to cross the 1-billion-yuan mark in China since 2022's "Avatar: The Way of Water."
On Monday, moviegoers waited in long lines at the Capital Cinema in Beijing to watch the Disney sequel.
"We came to watch Zootopia 2. We watched the first movie and really liked it," said an audience member.
"I watched the 4D version this time. The sensations were incredibly strong. The fur and other details of the characters were a huge surprise," said another moviegoer.
Many cinemas have increased the number of screenings to meet the high demand, with IMAX and 4D screenings proving especially popular.
"The average attendance rate throughout the day has been very high, reaching 70 to 80 percent. For 4D theaters with motion effects, based on pre-sales, every show is basically sold out," said Yu Chao, executive deputy general manager of Capital Cinema.
The sequel, which opened day-and-date with North America on Nov. 26, signaled its blockbuster potential early by setting China's all-time presale record for an animated film, raking in over 300 million yuan, according to ticketing platform Maoyan.
Its box-office performance then surged dramatically. On Nov. 29 -- its fourth day in release -- the film posted a staggering single-day gross of more than 738 million yuan, becoming the highest-earning imported film in a single day in China, surpassing "Avengers: Endgame." Notably, it is the only film outside China's peak Spring Festival season to ever cross the 700-million-yuan mark in a single day.
According to the latest data from Maoyan, as of Nov. 30, "Zootopia 2" has generated higher box office revenue in China than in North America during its debut week, making China the film's number one global market.
Industry projections for the film's final China run are now sky-high. Maoyan forecasts a final total of approximately 4.25 billion yuan for "Zootopia 2." Should it reach that level, it could put the film on par with "Avengers: Endgame" and position it to challenge the title of highest-grossing imported film ever in China. Film data platform Beacon also projects the film could top 3.8 billion yuan.
Zootopia 2 takes more than 2 bln yuan in Chinese box office receipts
Zootopia 2 takes more than 2 bln yuan in Chinese box office receipts
