Who said China isn’t interested in foreign films anymore?
Disney’s Zootopia 2 just shattered that narrative.
It became the highest-grossing animated foreign movie in China — and it did it in less than a week.
By Monday morning, box-office tracker Maoyan showed the film roaring past 1.95 billion yuan ($275 million) in just six days.
That’s massive. “It is Disney’s most important movie in China this year, for sure,” said Ashley Dudarenok, founder of digital consultancy Chozan.
She noted that the movie’s themes of resilience and social harmony really clicked with Chinese audiences.
And the dominance was undeniable: Zootopia 2 accounted for a staggering 95% of all movie ticket sales during its opening weekend.
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Not bad in a market where Hollywood films have been struggling for years.
In fact, the first Zootopia held the same crown back in 2016 — but times have changed.
Chinese films now routinely crush American releases.
The local hit Ne Zha 2 even surpassing Pixar’s Inside Out 2 to become the highest-grossing animated film globally.
Still, Disney came prepared. CEO Bob Iger flew to Shanghai for the premiere, and the company teamed up with China Eastern Airlines for a themed plane.
Shanghai Disneyland’s Zootopia-themed land — the only one in the world — helped fuel the hype.
In a year shaped by US–China trade tensions and film quotas, Zootopia 2 proves one thing: the right story can still break through any border.
