Zootopia 2 has vastly exceeded expectations at the worldwide box office, grossing over $1.7 billion worldwide. At a time when many moviegoers would rather wait for a new release to hit streaming before checking it out, that's an extraordinary achievement.
Just as impressive is the fact that the Disney Animation sequel has now beaten Avengers: Endgame in China ($632.2 million vs. $632.1 million), becoming the biggest-ever Hollywood movie to open in the Middle Kingdom. It's also demolished the $246 million earned by Avatar: The Way of Water in the post-pandemic era.
Avatar: Fire and Ash, meanwhile, is still proving a draw to moviegoers. This weekend, it passed $1.4 billion to move beyond Deadpool & Wolverine, Black Panther, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie and become the 19th highest-grossing title ever. However, it will end its run at around $1.5 billion, falling short of the $2 billion hauls that have become the norm for James Cameron.
Much of North America has been blanketed by snow this weekend, but the new sci-fi title, Mercy, was still able to top the Avatar threequel with a so-so $11.2 million. Overseas, it grossed $11.6 million for a $22.8 million global cume. That's not the strongest of starts for a $60 million production, but Amazon MGM Studios is unlikely to care.
Why not? Well, this movie is just another addition to the Prime Video catalogue, where it will no doubt thrive.
As for Return to Silent Hill, it bombed with a $3.2 million opening weekend. That's well below Silent Hill: Revelation ($8 million) and a far cry from Silent Hill ($20 million). The movie cost $23 million before marketing, and while it grossed a shockingly impressive $9.5 million in China—beating Superman ($6.7 million) and The Fantastic Four: First Steps's ($4.5 million) respective starts—more was expected.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple isn't doing well, making only $20.8 million in the U.S. in 10 days (that's below what 28 Years Later earned in its opening weekend alone). This horror franchise is too weird for mainstream audiences and will likely end its global run between $65 million and $85 million.
So, another tough weekend for theaters. There are plenty of big movies still on the way in 2025, with the likes of Oppenheimer, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and Avengers: Doomsday bound to be huge box office hits.
What will be the year's first big hit? Wuthering Heights might be a contender, though the first sure thing will probably be The Super Mario Galaxy Movie in April.
Did you check out any new releases this weekend?