Walt Disney Animation’s Zootopia 2 cleared the $1 billion mark worldwide in just 17 days, a rapid climb that underscores how animated franchises continue to dominate global box office conversations this year. That milestone matters now because it reinforces studios’ confidence in sequel-driven tentpoles and signals sustained audience demand across international markets.
The sequel has since stretched well beyond the initial threshold, sitting near the top of 2025’s highest-grossing releases with a global haul approaching $1.87 billion. Its speed to the billion-dollar mark sets a new record for animated releases distributed under the Motion Picture Association umbrella and for films rated PG.
For Disney the result is more than one film’s success: it marks consecutive years of billion-dollar animated outings after last year’s Moana 2, and adds to a run of major franchise hits stretching back to the last decade. Since 2013 the studio has produced five titles that crossed the billion-dollar line, a string that highlights the company’s continuing box office clout.
Outside of Disney, the animated landscape has shifted as well. China’s Ne Zha 2 now sits atop the list of all-time animated grosses, and Inside Out 2 remains among the highest earners globally after its blockbuster 2024 release. Overall, more than a dozen animated features have now cleared the billion-dollar threshold, a milestone that changes how studios plan release calendars, global marketing and merchandising strategies.
Key implications for audiences and industry:
- Franchise value: Proven sequels continue to attract large, worldwide audiences — studios are likely to prioritize known properties over original animated projects.
- International markets: Successes such as Ne Zha 2 and Zootopia 2 show how critical China and other overseas territories are to reaching blockbuster totals.
- Merchandising and parks: Billion-dollar films feed ancillary revenue streams — from toys to theme park tie-ins — which extend a film’s profitability beyond ticket sales.
Top 10 highest-grossing animated films (global grosses)
- Ne Zha 2 (2025) — $2,260,176,370
- Zootopia 2 (2025) — $1,866,647,950
- Inside Out 2 (2024) — $1,698,863,816
- Frozen II (2019) — $1,453,683,476
- The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) — $1,360,783,214
- Frozen (2013) — $1,284,879,663
- Incredibles 2 (2018) — $1,243,225,667
- Minions (2015) — $1,159,457,503
- Toy Story 4 (2019) — $1,073,841,394
- Toy Story 3 (2010) — $1,067,316,101
Disney’s dominance is visible across these rankings: the studio accounts for four of the top five and nearly half of the dozen highest-grossing animated pictures, underscoring its production scale and global reach. That concentration raises strategic questions for rival studios about how to carve out audience share amid franchise-heavy slates.
What to watch next: Zootopia 2’s remaining run will determine whether it climbs further up the all-time list, but the gap to Ne Zha 2 is substantial. Meanwhile, new releases and franchise entries scheduled later this year will test whether audiences sustain appetite for big-budget animation or begin shifting toward other genres.
For moviegoers, the continued stream of high-earning animated films means more sequels, more cross-platform tie-ins and longer shelf lives for popular characters — and for studios, it reinforces animation as a reliable engine for global revenue.
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Hello, I’m Declan. I share my film reviews and discoveries with you to enrich your moviegoing experience.