The animated Disney follow-up has just become the second Hollywood film of 2025 to reach $1 billion, thanks in large part to a staggering $502 million in China. However, with "Five Nights at Freddy's 2" falling apart and "Ella McCay" flopping miserably, it’s all hands on deck for the holidays in order for this year to not lag far behind last year’s poor box office numbers.
Although this past weekend proved to be a quiet one at the box office, "Zootopia 2" took back the leading spot with $26.3 million in revenue in its third week of release, making it just the second Hollywood film released in 2025 to eclipse $1 billion at box offices globally. "Zootopia 2" thus far has grossed $1.14 billion in revenue globally.
But look a little further from this bright spot, and a very different picture emerges. "Five Nights at Freddy's 2" got smashed in its second weekend with a 70% decline. Then there is "Ella McCay," which tanked with just $2.1 million in 2,500 theaters, which ranks among this year's worst wide openings. And box office totals so far in 2025 are "close to even" with last year's weak numbers.
Hollywood is just trying to tread water and hoping against hope that this holiday corridor, which begins with "Avatar: Fire and Ash" this Friday, will see them through this existential crisis they are going through.
Zootopia Crosses Billion-Dollar Mark at Chinese Box
"Zootopia 2" has now broken $1.14 billion at the global box office, making it just the second film from Hollywood to reach the billion-dollar mark in 2025. The other film was Disney’s "Lilo & Stitch," which raked in $1.04 billion.
Yet here’s the very interesting part: The DVD sales performance of "Zootopia 2" is largely fueled by China, where it has registered a staggering $502.4 million in sales—marking it the ‘largest Hollywood film hit in years.’
China's dominance is a tale of two themes. On one hand, it shows Hollywood can get it right in a big way if they do with Chinese consumers, because "Zootopia 2" seemed to hit a nerve in a way most other American films have not in a rather short period of time.
Secondly, it shines a light on Hollywood's perilous reliance on international box offices, especially China, in order to become a blockbuster hit. Subtracting the $502 million, "Zootopia 2" would have a global total of $638 million, which is a good but not exactly spectacular performance when you subtract the China figures.
But Disney, of course, registers a definitive victory. Two of this year's lone Hollywood billion-dollar earners both have a Disney stamp, solidifying Disney's stronghold in reputable franchises despite lagging box office performances.
Five Nights at Freddy's 2: The Brutal Second Weekend
While "Zootopia 2" can show how a sequel can thrive, "Five Nights at Freddy's 2" will show how quickly they can fall apart.
"Universal’s sequel, produced under Blumhouse Productions, grossed an alarming $15.4 million in the second weekend. To think it performed above expectations in its first outing, this slump is catastrophic, plummeting a staggering 70% over the previous performance."
Nevertheless, given an overall domestic box office haul of $95.5 million with a production budget of $36 million, "Five Nights at Freddy's 2" is a financially successful endeavour for Blumhouse. Horror film production company, Blumhouse Productions, operates on a business model of churning out low-budget films which can make profit with even small returns, thus acquiring a new IP in this endeavour.
However, the 70% drop off in a second weekend is a troubling omen for sequel viability. The original "Five Nights at Freddy's" was a new idea with an avid fan base hungry to see this gaming film translation. The sequel has apparently fulfilled the need of these hard core fans but did not spread much further.
It's a series they want to milk for years, and this is very worrisome in a franchise case
Ella McCay
The most important movie of the weekend with a wide release would have to be "Ella McCay," which is director James L. Brooks' first film behind the camera in 15 years, and it tanked.
The movie raked in a meager $2.1 million revenue from 2,500 screens, making it one of the worst wide releases of this year. To put this into context, this is exactly how much revenue another movie, "Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution," an anime movie playing in far fewer theaters, raked in.
"Ella McCay" centers on a woman in her 30s being appointed governor of her native state, which is a comedic dramatic idea from another time when Brooks's "Terms of Endearment" and "Broadcast News" were part of the culture. However, the critical response was damning (Rotten Tomatoes rating of 22% "fresh"), and this present-day movie-going audience will not show up in sufficient numbers for a mid-range serious adult film, no matter how good the supporting cast of Curtis, Edebiri, and Harrelson.
The cost of production of this movie is $35 million, which will make this film a loss-making investment if it doesn't pick up in other countries and online viewing.
Brooks' story exemplifies a paradigm shift in dramatic economics. His genre of award-winning comedies, which he pioneered, is never seen in multiplexes in numbers now. Their viewers have bifurcated into two segments: blockbuster films attract them to theaters, and character-driven shows are viewed on television via streaming.
"Ella McCay" is just one of the latest crop of shows affected by this split—and a reminder that in this case, a good director attached to a solid cast is simply not sufficient due to shifting consumer behavior.
The fact that "Zootopia 2" succeeds in China is an exception rather than a norm, since most films from Hollywood underperform in China, with barriers to success increasing all the time.
