Disney’s animated sequel, Zootopia 2, emphatically stuffed the box office competition over the Thanksgiving holiday, delivering a stunning global tally of $556 million. The buddy-cop comedy, featuring anthropomorphic animals, debuted to $156 million in North America and a remarkable $400 million overseas, firmly cementing its place in box office history and providing a significant boost to a film industry that had been struggling since the summer.

The family-friendly film, which opened on Wednesday, shattered multiple records. It achieved the fourth-biggest worldwide debut in box office history, following only Avengers: Endgame, Avengers: Infinity War, and Spider-Man: No Way Home. Furthermore, Zootopia 2 marked the largest global launch of all time for an animated film, the highest international animated opening ever, and the biggest global debut of 2025. It also achieved the largest global opening ever for Walt Disney Animation Studios, the highest global opening for any animated film in Disney’s 102-year history, and an impressive 239% increase in opening weekend sales from its original film.

Domestically, Zootopia 2 posted the second-biggest Thanksgiving Day with $28 million and the second-highest Thanksgiving opening ever (both three-day and five-day), behind Moana 2. It also secured the second-largest Black Friday with $38.9 million and the second-highest domestic Wednesday before Thanksgiving with $39.3 million. In China, the film was particularly massive, earning a record-setting $272 million since Wednesday.

This made it the sixth-highest debut of all time in China, the second-best non-local film opening behind Avengers: Endgame, and the highest animated opening ever for a non-local title. The sequel remarkably surpassed the original Zootopia's total lifetime gross ($236 million) in China within just five days, partly due to the immense popularity fueled byZootopia Land at Shanghai Disneyland.

Directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard, the film follows a rabbit police officer (Ginnifer Goodwin) and a con artist fox (Jason Bateman) as they pursue a mysterious new reptilian resident (Ke Huy Quan) in the city.

For Disney, Zootopia 2 represents a much-needed triumph after a string of theatrical misses, including Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Pixar’s Elio, Tron: Ares, and Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere.

With 91% on Rotten Tomatoes and an “A” CinemaScore, the film is poised for continued success and is expected to become the second movie of the year to surpass the $1 billion mark, following Disney’s Lilo & Stitch in May. Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman stated, “The incredible response to Zootopia 2 reflects both its worldwide appeal and the remarkable work of our filmmakers and cast. It’s a proud moment for Disney Animation and all of us at Disney, not to mention a great way to start the holiday season.”

While Zootopia 2 towered over the competition, Universal’s Wicked: For Good also delivered a strong performance in its second weekend, scoring $29 million overseas and $92 million worldwide. After 10 days in theaters, the musical has earned $270.4 million domestically and $393.3 million globally. Although the second half of Wicked had a bigger debut than its predecessor, its hold was not as strong compared to the first film, which earned $118 million over the five-day holiday frame after debuting to $112.5 million.

The combined success of Zootopia 2 and Wicked: For Good propelled the overall Thanksgiving box office to roughly $293 million across all films. This ranked as the fourth-biggest Thanksgiving of all time, though it did not reach the 2024 record of $422 million, led by Moana 2, Wicked, and Gladiator II. Comscore’s head of marketplace trends, Paul Dergarabedian, highlighted the importance of this period, stating that Thanksgiving remains one of the most critical moviegoing periods of the year, and this outcome is “a welcome result in the wake of what has been a very tumultuous post-summer season for the industry.”

IMAX also experienced its biggest Thanksgiving in company history, with $40.8 million in global ticket sales over five days — 70% higher than last year’s holiday frame. Zootopia 2 contributed significantly, bringing in $32 million globally, making it IMAX’s biggest Thanksgiving release, as well as the company’s largest debut for a November release and best start for an animated title.

Wicked: For Good added $7.2 million from IMAX in its second outing. IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond commended the studios, noting that “Zootopia 2 and Wicked: For Good delivered a phenomenal one-two punch for the Thanksgiving holiday, hitting the sweet spot for family audiences and sending our global box office soaring well past expectations.”

Beyond the blockbusters, a few indie titles also debuted. Chloe Zhao’s Shakespearean drama Hamnet cracked the top 10 with $880,000 from just 119 theaters over the weekend and $1.35 million during its first five days. A24’s afterlife comedy Eternity launched with $3.1 million over the traditional weekend and $5.2 million since Wednesday. Netflix’s Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery earned an estimated $4 million from 600 theaters since Wednesday, opting for a limited theatrical release without the nation’s three largest chains.

With domestic grosses reaching $7.5 billion, just 1.3% ahead of 2024, there is mounting pressure on Zootopia 2, Wicked: For Good, and December’s Avatar: Fire and Ash to lift the year above the $9 billion threshold. Dergarabedian emphasized that “every movie has to pull its weight” for this goal to be met, setting the stage for a December loaded with major franchises and awards contenders.