In a weekend dominated by noisy debuts and headline-grabbing openings, the most revealing story at the domestic box office belonged to a film that barely raised its voice. Zootopia 2, now in its 10th weekend, quietly held its ground at No. 4, delivering a performance that says more about long-term audience behavior than any flashy opening number.
The animated sequel slipped just one position from last weekend’s No. 3 slot, but context matters. Three new releases stormed into theaters above it, pushing Zootopia 2 down by sheer volume rather than a loss of interest. What truly stands out is that the film didn’t decline at all—in fact, it grew. A +12% weekend jump this late into its run is a rare sight, particularly in a crowded market where most films are fighting to slow their fall.
That increase signals something crucial: Zootopia 2 has entered the phase every studio hopes for but few achieve. It has become a default choice. Families who skipped it earlier are still discovering it, repeat viewers are returning, and exhibitors continue to treat it as reliable programming. The film lost only 50 theaters, retaining a wide footprint while maintaining a solid per-theater average. In practical terms, theaters still need it.
The contrast with newer releases is stark. Send Help claimed the weekend crown with a $19.1 million opening, while Iron Lung followed closely with $17.8 million, an impressive feat for a self-distributed indie. Both films had strong starts, but their trajectories are just beginning. Zootopia 2, meanwhile, is already proving it doesn’t need urgency to sell tickets. Its audience arrives steadily, week after week.
Perhaps the most telling comparison comes from Avatar: Fire and Ash. The film opened three weeks after Zootopia 2, yet now sits below it at No. 5. Avatar dropped 12% this weekend and lost 350 theaters, a far steeper contraction. Traditionally, Avatar films dominate premium formats and command long runs, but here the animated sequel is showing greater stability. While Avatar remains a massive success in absolute terms, Zootopia 2 is outperforming it in consistency and exhibitor confidence at this stage.
If endurance is the theme, then Mercy represents the opposite extreme. Last weekend’s No. 1 collapsed to No. 7, plunging 58% in just its second frame. It’s a textbook example of a front-loaded release that burned through initial interest quickly. Set against that collapse, Zootopia 2’s near-motionless ranking and upward revenue movement feel even more significant.
This pattern highlights a larger divide forming in the marketplace. Films driven by novelty, controversy, or opening-weekend urgency tend to spike and fade. Family animation, by contrast, compounds slowly. Among the Top 10, most titles posted double-digit declines. Zootopia 2 stood alone in bucking that trend, behaving less like a weekend performer and more like infrastructure—a film that quietly props up the entire ecosystem.
At $409 million domestic, Zootopia 2 is no longer chasing headlines or milestones. It has shifted into what the trade often calls a “platform” phase, where incremental gains add up over time. Historically, animated hits in this position can still tack on tens of millions before their run ends, especially if competition skews adult or genre-heavy, as it does now.
In a box office landscape obsessed with first impressions, Zootopia 2 offers a reminder of another metric that matters just as much: staying power. While the weekend will be remembered for surprise openings and tight races at the top, the steadiest winner in theaters right now isn’t new, loud, or urgent. It’s the film that audiences keep choosing—quietly, consistently, and ten weeks in, without slowing down.
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