Zootopia 2 Hits 6 Million Admissions in Korea, First Film to Reach Milestone Since September 2024
Disney's animated sequel becomes Korea's top-grossing film of 2025 while dominating global box office with $1.1 billion
Disney's "Zootopia 2" reached 6 million admissions in South Korea on December 20, just 25 days after its November 26 release. The milestone makes it the first film to cross this threshold since "I, The Executioner" (known locally as "Veteran 2") achieved the feat in September 2024.
According to Korean Film Council data, the sequel hit exactly 6,000,530 admissions at 12:33 PM on Friday, solidifying its position as the country's highest-grossing release of the year.
Breaking Korea's Animation Records
The film now ranks as Korea's third most-watched animated release ever, trailing only "Frozen 2" with 13.7 million admissions and "Frozen" with 10.3 million. "Zootopia 2" recently surpassed "Inside Out 2" (8.8 million admissions in 2024) to claim this position.
Earlier this week, the sequel overtook both "Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle" (5.681 million) and local horror hit "Zombie Daughter" (5.639 million) to become 2025's top film in Korea. This marks the first time a Disney Animation Studios release has topped Korea's annual box office chart.
The original "Zootopia" drew 4.71 million admissions in 2016, meaning the sequel has already surpassed its predecessor by nearly 30%.
Global Box Office Powerhouse
"Zootopia 2" has generated over $1.13 billion worldwide as of mid-December, making it 2025's highest-grossing Hollywood release. The film crossed the billion-dollar mark in just 17 days-the fastest ever for a PG-rated film and the fastest for any Hollywood animated release.
China has driven much of this success, with the film earning more than $500 million there and becoming the second-highest-grossing non-local release in Chinese cinema history behind "Avengers: Endgame."
The sequel opened with $559.5 million globally over the Thanksgiving weekend, marking the fourth-largest worldwide debut in box office history. It joins "Avengers: Endgame," "Avengers: Infinity War," and "Spider-Man: No Way Home" as the only films to achieve this level of opening weekend performance.
Why Audiences Keep Returning
Directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard, "Zootopia 2" reunites rabbit police officer Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) nine years after the original. The pair pursue a mysterious reptilian criminal named Gary (Ke Huy Quan) through unexplored areas of their city.
The film earned a 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and an A CinemaScore, with critics praising its sophisticated storytelling about partnership and understanding differences. Korean audiences have particularly embraced the sequel, with the film holding the #1 daily box office position for 21 consecutive days.
"Zootopia 2" also marks Walt Disney Animation Studios' first back-to-back billion-dollar releases, following "Moana 2" in 2024. The studio now has five billion-dollar films since 2013: "Frozen," "Frozen 2," "Moana 2," "Zootopia," and "Zootopia 2."
The sequel's theatrical success has boosted streaming viewership of the franchise, with "Zootopia" and "Zootopia+" accumulating over 725 million viewing hours on Disney+ globally.
"Zootopia 2" continues playing in theaters worldwide.
