Disney’s Zootopia 2 has achieved a record-breaking box office performance in China, becoming the highest-grossing animated foreign film in the country, despite a generally muted interest in overseas movies.

As of Monday morning Beijing time, box office tracker Maoyan reported that Zootopia 2 had earned 1.95 billion yuan ($275.6 million) in just six days of release.

“It is Disney's most important movie in China this year, for sure,” said Ashley Dudarenok, founder of China digital consultancy Chozan. She noted that the film’s themes of personal resilience and societal harmony have strongly resonated with Chinese audiences.

The film’s overwhelming success is particularly notable given the changing environment for foreign films in China over the past nine years. The original Zootopia, released in 2016, also became the country’s most popular foreign animated film at the time.

Despite geopolitical tensions and a China-U.S. trade war that earlier limited the number of U.S. films allowed in the country, Zootopia 2 accounted for around 95% of all movie ticket sales over its opening weekend.

A Rare Win for Hollywood
While Hollywood studios have historically relied on China’s box office to boost earnings, domestic films increasingly dominate. Earlier this year, the local animated hit Ne Zha 2 surpassed Pixar’s Inside Out 2 to become the world’s highest-grossing animated film with nearly $2 billion in Chinese ticket sales.

Nevertheless, Disney prepared carefully for Zootopia 2’s launch. CEO Bob Iger attended the Shanghai premiere, Disney partnered with China Eastern Airlines for a themed plane, and Shanghai Disneyland hosts the world’s only Zootopia-themed land, which opened in 2023.

“Disney is heavily reliant on huge blockbuster releases, which in turn become IP and monetise through experiences, merchandise, and other areas,” said Paolo Pescatore, analyst at PP Foresight. He added that despite geopolitical tensions and uncertain economic conditions, China remains a “massive and expanding market for its theme parks, movies, and merchandise.”

Cautious Optimism for Hollywood
However, experts caution that Zootopia 2’s success should not be over-interpreted as a revival of China’s interest in Hollywood films. Chris Fenton, author of Feeding the Dragon, warned that Beijing does not view Hollywood as a solution to restrained consumer spending, and studios should not expect the government to significantly shift its approach toward foreign films.