The 2025 domestic box office race has officially been decided. After months of tight competition, Zootopia 2 has pulled ahead of A Minecraft Movie to stand as the highest-grossing release of the year in North America, with $424.2 million. The margin is razor-thin — just ahead of Minecraft’s $424.08 million — but symbolically significant in what has been one of the most closely watched theatrical battles of the year.
For much of its run, Warner Bros.’ Minecraft adaptation held the domestic crown, powered by a massive debut and sustained turnout from gaming audiences. But Disney’s animated sequel proved to be a marathon runner rather than a sprinter. After 13 weekends in the domestic top 10, the film steadily accumulated enough momentum to edge past its competitor and claim the No. 1 position.
The achievement adds to what has already been a historic run for the sequel. Since launching over the Thanksgiving corridor, the film has operated as a full-scale theatrical juggernaut. It debuted with $158 million in North America and an extraordinary $559 million globally over the five-day holiday frame — marking the second-largest Thanksgiving opening of all time, the biggest animated debut ever, and the fourth-largest worldwide opening weekend in box office history, behind only Avengers: Endgame, Avengers: Infinity War and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
From there, the records continued to fall. Buoyed by strong reviews and powerful word-of-mouth, the PG-rated sequel became the fastest film in its rating category to cross $1 billion globally, reaching the milestone in just 17 days. It eventually climbed to approximately $1.85 billion worldwide, including $1.425 billion internationally, making it Hollywood’s biggest global earner of 2025.
In the process, the sequel surpassed Inside Out 2 to become the highest-grossing animated film in history and even overtook Avengers: Endgame as the biggest Motion Picture Association title ever released in China. On the all-time global box office chart, it now ranks among the top ten highest-grossing films ever released — an extraordinary outcome for a property returning nine years after the original.
Directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard, the sequel reunites Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) as they investigate a new mystery involving a reptilian arrival in their sprawling animal metropolis. The creative continuity from the first film, combined with expanded world-building and emotional stakes, helped turn the sequel into a repeat-viewing event for families worldwide.
The domestic milestone also caps off a dominant year for The Walt Disney Company, which saw multiple billion-dollar performers contributing to global ticket sales surpassing $6 billion. Alongside Zootopia 2, titles like Lilo & Stitch and Avatar: Fire and Ash further reinforced the studio’s theatrical strength.
With the calendar year effectively closed and no remaining releases positioned to challenge the $424 million benchmark domestically, Zootopia 2’s standing as 2025’s highest-grossing North American release is now secure. What began as a competitive race has ended as a defining box office narrative — one that underscores the enduring power of animated franchises, sustained theatrical legs, and event-level family entertainment. If anything, the only remaining question for Disney isn’t whether the crown will hold, but when the studio will formally announce the inevitable next chapter in the franchise.
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