The Pixar sequel Zootopia 2 has reclaimed its top spot at the box office, passed $1 billion worldwide as of Friday (in a record statement for an animated picture from Hollywood, only 17 days), and is going to do its utmost to weather the storm before Avatar: Fire and Ash drops next weekend to take its crown.
Domestically, it might not have the appeal to match its predecessor’s $341 million domestic as it currently sits at $259 million domestically and will get ravaged a bit next weekend. Still, I think pundits will only give a s*** if they were dissecting the “what’s going on here” instead of looking at the bigger picture. Anyway, in terms of legs, it’s still rather frontloaded than the likes of Coco and Moana, but if we match legs to the likes of Moana 2, it will probably nab around $340-360 million to cap off its domestic run. Overseas is a much more generous affair, courtesy of $450 million in China, and it has overall passed $1.136 billion worldwide. So, yes, it’s the second-biggest film of the year behind Ne Zha 2, but it will probably be the second-largest Hollywood motion picture once Avatar 3 rages into theaters. Speaking of the threequel, the performance next weekend may determine whether Zootopia 2 ends closer to $1.35 billion than $1.6-1.7 billion. Granted, it’s all still a victory for Disney/Pixar, and they’ll be getting more Christmas bonuses once James Cameron’s next setpiece comes in to keep the holidays afloat.
In other news, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 took a 70% drop in its second weekend, earning $19.5 million. That is a better hold than its predecessor (which dropped 76% in its second weekend with $19 million), probably because folks couldn’t watch it simultaneously on Peacock this time around. So, the sequel is holding its own with its predecessor and will probably land around its $137 million domestic total, despite a roughly 20% lower opening. It will probably pass $100 million domestically tomorrow night and $200 million worldwide sometime by Friday.
Wicked: For Good took in $8.55 million in its fourth weekend, a hold akin to that of Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. The sequel has passed $467 million worldwide and will be legging out to reach $500 million. Dhurandhar is proving itself to be more than the usual one-week wonder this time around, as it rose to earn $3.5 million in its second weekend. Talk about a Greatest Showman-level scenario.
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t has passed $200 million worldwide. Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution will pass $50 million globally later this week. Universal’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas, starring Jim Carrey, returned to theaters to earn $1.85 million and will pass $350 million worldwide in unadjusted-inflation earnings.
Ella McCay crashed with poor reviews and a $2.1 million debut; good to get some 20th Century Fox films back in the mix, but none of the movie’s stars have the drawing power. Therefore, this $30 million budgeted flick (sorry, the offensive flick!) will be a surefire bomb. Silent Night, Deadly Night opened with $1.12 million, so it’s not quite significant, but it’s a worthwhile remake.
Next weekend sees the release of Avatar: Fire and Ash, The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, The Housemaid, Is This Thing On?, and David.

