Zootopia 2 Ignites China Box Office, Roars Past Fifth-Biggest Fast and Furious Entry

Disney needed a win in China. Turns out, a bunny cop and a fox con artist were more than up for it. Before Zootopia 2 even hits a single screen, it has already blown past every expectation with advance sales that are, frankly, kind of nuts.

The headline

Zootopia 2 now holds the post-pandemic record for Hollywood pre-sales in China, leaping over the previous champ, F9. That is not a small bar to clear.

The numbers that explain the frenzy

• According to trade analyst Luiz Fernando, Zootopia 2 has banked $34.3 million in pre-sales across the Nov 25-30 window, with sales still open. That span gets described as eight days in some tracking notes, even though it covers six calendar days - chalk it up to how local presale windows are counted.
• More than 223,000 screenings are already on the books for opening week - a huge footprint this far out.
• It is the highest pre-sale haul ever for a non-Chinese film in China.
• It beat F9's previous pre-sale record of $30.1 million (via Koimoi). Judy Hopps did not tiptoe past the Fast crew - she sprinted.
• Based on advance sales alone, its Wednesday launch would rank as the second-biggest Disney opening day in China since theaters reopened after the pandemic.
• Pre-sales have already topped the actual opening-day numbers of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Deadpool & Wolverine, and Alien: Romulus in China - and the movie has not started its run yet.
• The current pre-sale total already equals about 60% of Avatar: The Way of Water's opening-day box office. Yes, really.
• Right now, it is on pace to at least take a swing at F9's towering $136.1 million opening day (via Box Office Mojo) - a mark most people wrote off as unreachable for Hollywood in the post-COVID period.
• China release date is Wednesday, Nov 26, 2025.

Why China is going this hard for Zootopia 2

Nostalgia plus trust in Disney Animation is a potent combo. The first Zootopia was a legit phenomenon in China, and this sequel is benefiting from years of built-up goodwill. Add a family-friendly four-quadrant play that actually looks like an event, and you get what we are seeing now: a movie charging into opening day like it knows it is about to own the weekend.

Why this matters (a lot) to Hollywood

Hollywood's run in China has been shaky lately. The Chinese box office is reportedly up about 16% year over year, but still roughly 9% below where things stood in 2023. The top-grossing Hollywood import there this year has been Jurassic World Rebirth at $79 million (via Box Office Mojo) - a far cry from the franchise's pre-pandemic highs. In other words: expectations have been reined in, and confidence has been dented.

Which is why this surge feels like oxygen. Executives are paying attention, and the whispers are not subtle:

"It is super important for Hollywood movies to figure out where we are, and how much are Hollywood movies really worth in the Chinese marketplace."

"You can not get two properties that are more conducive to the Chinese marketplace. So anything half or less is a bit of a disaster."

Translation: if a brand as trusted as Zootopia can not light up the charts, the import business has a real problem. But it is lighting them up. If these pre-sales convert and the walk-up audience shows, expect every greenlight meeting to suddenly remember how much China still loves a polished, crowd-pleasing animated juggernaut.

Bottom line: Zootopia 2 has not even started and it is already rewriting the playbook. If it sticks the landing this week, studios will be referencing its China debut all year.