Global Box Office Shocker: Stray Kids Doc Rakes in Millions While Zootopia 2 Dominates with Billions!
The concert documentary "Stray Kids: The dominATE Experience" triumphantly claimed the global box office top spot with $19.1 million during a quiet Super Bowl weekend. It outperformed other K-pop films and saw strong IMAX participation, while Disney's "Zootopia 2" continued its historic run and other notable films achieved significant milestones.
In a weekend slowed by the Super Bowl, the concert documentary Stray Kids: The dominATE, experience defied expectations, topping the global box office with $19.1 million.
Released internationally by Universal and domestically by Bleecker Street, the film earned $13.2 million overseas and $5.6 million in the U.S. and Canada.
Its international ticket sales are tracking ahead of previous K-pop concert films, including 2023’s BTS Yet to Come to the Cinema ($29 million lifetime), and it has surpassed earlier hits like 2019’sBring the Soul: The Movie ($12.1 million) and 2020’s Break the Silence: The Movie ($8.9 million).
The documentary showcases the boy band’s world tour, highlighted by their sold-out Los Angeles SoFi Stadium show.
Imax contributed $3.9 million—20.5% of the global total—marking its largest opening weekend ever for a Korean-language film.
Paul Dergarabedian of Comscore noted that a slow industry weekend can create openings for films like Stray Kids, reflecting the global appetite for large-scale concert films and the K-pop phenomenon.
The film’s success was also aided by Hollywood studios avoiding new releases around the Super Bowl.
Following Stray Kids on the charts was Disney’s Zootopia 2, earning $16.8 million in its 11th weekend ($12.8 million internationally, $4 million domestically), bringing its worldwide total to $1.8 billion, securing the ninth-highest-grossing film of all time.
Sam Raimi’s Survival Thriller Send Help placed third with $16.3 million globally ($10 million North America, $6.3 million overseas), pushing its total to $53.7 million against a $40 million budget.
James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash earned $15.7 million worldwide ($12.2 million international, $3.5 million domestic), bringing its total to $1.43 billion, below its franchise predecessors (Avatar 2009: $2.9 billion; The Way of Water 2022: $2.33 billion).
Other notable performers included A24’s Marty Supreme, which became the studio’s highest-grossing film with $147 million worldwide, surpassing Everything Everywhere All at Once ($142 million) and Civil War ($127 million).
The $70 million R-rated sports dramedy is also an Oscar contender with nine nominations, including Best Picture and Lead Actor for Timothée Chalamet.
Lionsgate’s Psychological Thriller The Housemaid achieved $354.7 million globally ($231 million overseas) on a $35 million budget, becoming a highly profitable international hit.
Chloe Zhao’s Shakespearean Drama Hamnet reached $70.5 million worldwide ($48.7 million overseas, $21.8 million domestic) and earned eight Oscar nominations, including Best Director and Actress for Jessie Buckley, a strong showing for an arthouse release.