'Zootopia 2' breaks records in China with $275 million opening

Disney’s “Zootopia 2” became the highest-grossing animated foreign film ever in China, despite generally muted interest in overseas movies in the country.

SHANGHAI — Disney’s “Zootopia 2” became the highest-grossing animated foreign film ever in China, despite generally muted interest in overseas movies in the country.

As of Monday morning Beijing time, box office tracker Maoyan showed the local box office tally for “Zootopia 2” reaching 1.95 billion yuan ($275.6 million) in its first six days of release.

“It is Disney’s most important movie in China this year, for sure,” said Ashley Dudarenok, founder of China digital consultancy Chozan, with its themes of personal resilience and societal harmony resonating with local audiences.

Its runaway success in China — where “Zootopia 2” sales accounted for around 95% of all movie ticket sales over its opening weekend — is particularly notable given the changing environment for foreign films in China over the nine years since the first “Zootopia” film was released. The original “Zootopia” also became China’s most popular foreign animated film when it was released in 2016.

Hollywood films were caught up earlier this year in the U.S.-China trade war. Beijing curbed the number of U.S. films that were allowed to be shown in China in retaliation for higher tariffs on Chinese goods — a move analysts said would have only a limited impact, given the waning influence of foreign films in China.