‘Zootopia 2’ Drives One of the Strongest Thanksgiving Box Office Weekends on Record

Disney’s animated sequel “Zootopia 2” propelled North American cinemas to a robust Thanksgiving frame, delivering estimated ticket sales that rank among the holiday’s best-ever performances. Preliminary figures for the five-day period running Wednesday through Sunday place the domestic box office at roughly $294 million. Final numbers are expected on Monday after Sunday receipts are fully tallied.

If confirmed, the 2025 result would secure either the third- or fourth-highest Thanksgiving total since modern box-office tracking began. According to data compiled by Comscore, the $294.2 million collected in 2013 currently holds third place, while 2012’s $291.3 million sits in fourth. The all-time holiday benchmark remains 2024’s record $424.9 million, followed by 2018’s $315.6 million.

‘Zootopia 2’ Sets Multiple Milestones

“Zootopia 2” opened to an estimated $156 million domestically over the five-day span, easily topping the chart. Worldwide, the sequel generated a staggering $556 million, the highest global debut ever for an animated title and the fourth-largest opening for any film in history. The picture also claimed the second-largest Thanksgiving Day gross and second-largest Thanksgiving opening for both three-day and five-day periods, trailing only 2024’s “Moana 2” ($221 million five-day; $135.5 million three-day).

The follow-up reunites rabbit detective Judy Hopps and fox partner Nick Wilde, who pursue a mysterious reptilian suspect disrupting the diverse mammal metropolis introduced in the 2016 original. Strong brand recognition, a PG rating and broad family appeal were cited by industry analysts as key drivers of the film’s exceptional turnout.

IMAX Achieves a Holiday Record

Premium large-format auditoriums benefited significantly from demand for the Disney release. IMAX reported its best five-day Thanksgiving performance in company history, delivering $40.8 million in global grosses. The figure surpasses the format’s previous holiday record, set in 2024, by approximately 70 percent.

‘Wicked: For Good’ Delivers Solid Support

Universal’s “Wicked: For Good,” a musical fantasy positioned as the second installment in the studio’s adaptation of the Broadway hit, generated an estimated $93 million domestically over the extended weekend. Although below the $118 million start achieved by 2024’s “Wicked,” the new chapter provided a complementary draw for family and teen audiences, creating what theater owners described as a balanced double bill alongside Disney’s animated tentpole.

Industry Outlook Through Year-End

Exhibitors and analysts expect both “Zootopia 2” and “Wicked: For Good” to maintain momentum during the early December corridor, traditionally a quiet stretch ahead of the Christmas surge. The market’s next major test arrives with Disney’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” slated for release later in the month. A steady stream of prestige titles aimed at awards consideration is also scheduled, offering multiplexes a diverse lineup to close out a year marked by strike-related disruptions and shifting release calendars.

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Observers note that the current holiday rebound follows a challenging late-summer and early-autumn season, when several tentpoles were postponed or underperformed. The strong Thanksgiving showing, combined with encouraging holdover trends, is viewed within the industry as a positive signal for the final weeks of 2025 box-office reporting.

Historical Context

While this year’s Thanksgiving total lags the record established in 2024, it outperforms most earlier seasons and underscores the continued drawing power of recognizable brands during family-oriented holidays. The performance also highlights the incremental contribution of premium formats and higher average ticket prices, factors that have grown increasingly important to theater profitability.

Comparisons to pre-pandemic years illustrate the marketplace’s gradual normalization. The five-day gross in 2019, the last pre-COVID Thanksgiving, reached $263.3 million, placing the 2025 result roughly 12 percent higher in nominal terms. Industry executives point to rising consumer comfort with indoor gatherings and a slate of event films appealing across age groups as contributing factors.

Corporate Note

Universal Pictures is owned by NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Comcast has announced plans to spin off a new entity, Versant, which would become the parent company of CNBC upon completion of the transaction.

Crédito da imagem: Disney