China’s film market urgently needs a hit to draw audiences back to cinemas after a lacklustre few months. And an unexpected candidate looks set to fill that role: the Disney animated comedy Zootopia 2.
Advertisement
Hollywood movies have underperformed in China over the past few years, but Zootopia 2 appears on track to break the curse. Its advance ticket sales have already surpassed 249 million yuan (US$35 million) – a record for a foreign animated film in China, according to box office tracker Dengta Data.
Mtime.com, a major Chinese ticketing platform, forecasts that Zootopia 2 could generate 1.8 billion yuan in mainland box office revenues after its release on Wednesday. If that happens, it would be Hollywood’s biggest hit in China for several years.
Industry insiders also expect Zootopia 2 and other imports such as Avatar: Fire and Ash – the third instalment in James Cameron’s series – could provide a significant boost to China’s entire film market, which needs a strong finish to the year after a mediocre “super golden week” holiday.
“Driven by several imported sequels – Zootopia 2, Demon Slayer and Avatar 3 – the film market in the final two months of 2025 is positioned for a resurgence to match the annual 50 billion yuan box office target,” Chen Jin, a data analyst at Dengta Data, told the China Business Journal.
Advertisement
China’s film industry endured a torrid 2024, with a string of flops leading the annual box office to plunge 22.6 per cent year on year to 42.5 billion yuan. This year, there has been a tentative recovery, with revenues so far this year reaching about 46 billion yuan, according to Maoyan, another ticketing platform.