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Credit: DisneyJust days ago, Disney notched its second billion-dollar film of 2025. With Lilo & Stitch taking home over $1 billion at the box office this summer, and Zootopia 2 shattering records this Thanksgiving, Disney has the only two films to break $1 billion at the box office this year.
However, there is something unusual about Zoopotia 2’s box office that raises some serious questions: the film has only made just over $230 million in the United States, so how did it break one billion? The answer to that question is China, and based on recent accounts, that appears to be a deliberate decision on Disney’s part.
Zootopia 2 has grossed over $480 million in China so far, surpassing the records set by Avengers: Endgame. The film made $104 million in China in a single day. That broke the record held by Avengers: Endgame for the single best day at the box office by a Hollywood film in China. It also becomes the best opening weekend for a U.S. title in China since 2021.
So, why has it been so successful in China? Zootopia was the biggest American animated film in China’s history, and Disney capitalized on that popularity by building a Zootopia land at Shanghai Disneyland.
Disney also wisely brought back the same voice actors from Zootopia to do the overdubbing for the Chinese version of the sequel. But is all that enough to make nearly half a billion at the box office?
The answer to that would be maybe, but Disney was done. According to Forbes, Disney incorporated elements of Chinese culture into the film in a deliberate attempt to encourage audiences to attend the theater.
This year is the Year of the Wood Snake in China. It represents self-reflection, insight, and growth through renewal. If this sounds familiar, it should.
Disney wrote these themes into Zootopia 2 and used them in its marketing. The characters and their struggles resonated with a Chinese audience, possibly even more so than an American audience.
All of this appears to be intentional on Disney’s part. After years of struggling in China, Disney created a film with themes that resonated with the Chinese audience, helping the film gross over $1 billion.
It was a smart business move to create and market a film that resonated with Chinese audiences, and the box office numbers demonstrate that Disney was right to do so. With Avatar: Fire and Ash and Avengers: Doomsday coming, Disney is set up for the next year, at least in China.
What do you think of Disney specifically creating ‘Zootopia 2’ for a Chinese audience? Let us know in the comments.