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He Huifeng

China’s film market urgently needs a hit to draw audiences back to cinemas after a lacklustre few months. And an unexpected candidate looks set to fill that role: the Disney animated comedy Zootopia 2.
Hollywood movies have underperformed in China over the past few years, but Zootopia 2 appears on track to break the curse. Its advance ticket sales have already surpassed 249 million yuan (US$35 million) – a record for a foreign animated film in China, according to box office tracker Dengta Data.
Mtime.com, a major Chinese ticketing platform, forecasts that Zootopia 2 could generate 1.8 billion yuan in mainland box office revenues after its release on Wednesday. If that happens, it would be Hollywood’s biggest hit in China for several years.
Industry insiders also expect Zootopia 2 and other imports such as Avatar: Fire and Ash – the third instalment in James Cameron’s series – could provide a significant boost to China’s entire film market, which needs a strong finish to the year after a mediocre “super golden week” holiday.
“Driven by several imported sequels – Zootopia 2, Demon Slayer and Avatar 3 – the film market in the final two months of 2025 is positioned for a resurgence to match the annual 50 billion yuan box office target,” Chen Jin, a data analyst at Dengta Data, told the China Business Journal.
China’s film industry endured a torrid 2024, with a string of flops leading the annual box office to plunge 22.6 per cent year on year to 42.5 billion yuan. This year, there has been a tentative recovery, with revenues so far this year reaching about 46 billion yuan, according to Maoyan, another ticketing platform.
But the total remains well below 2023’s annual box office of 54.9 billion yuan, and the improvement has largely been driven by the success of one film: the domestic animation Ne Zha 2, which grossed a record 15.4 billion yuan after its release in January.


The hope is that imports like Zootopia 2 can revive the industry’s fortunes and – crucially – get young people back into cinemas. The proportion of cinema ticket buyers in China aged under 24 fell below 15 per cent in the first three quarters of 2025, according to data from Beijing-based consultancy Top Century.
Zootopia 2 is not the only foreign film attracting attention in China. Avatar: Fire and Ash, set for a December release, is generating real buzz among Chinese viewers over the age of 35, who are old enough to remember the huge success the original Avatar film enjoyed in the country.
The Japanese anime film Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba also topped China’s box office last week, despite the ongoing tensions between Beijing and Tokyo. It has raked in more than 573 million yuan since its release in China so far.
Chen Hui, a resident of the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou in her 40s, said her 14-year-old daughter planned to make a few rare trips to the cinema to see the movies.
“I’ve already made plans with friends to see Zootopia 2 and Avatar 3, while my daughter has arranged with her classmates to watch Zootopia 2, Demon Slayer and Avatar 3,” she said.
“Teenagers like her actually go to the movies far less often than we do – her last trip to the cinema was back in January.”
Domestic animated films have also emerged as a major force in China in 2025: Ne Zha 2, Little Monsters of the Mountain and Boonie Bears: Future Reborn have all secured spots among China’s top 10 highest-grossing movies of the year so far, according to Mtime.com.
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After a tough few months, Chinese cinemas are hoping that a string of imported animated releases can offer some relief


After a tough few months, Chinese cinemas are hoping that a string of imported animated releases can offer some relief.


Why China’s film industry is banking on Zootopia 2 being a smash hit

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}After a tough few months, Chinese cinemas are hoping that a string of imported animated releases can offer some relief

After a tough few months, Chinese cinemas are hoping that a string of imported animated releases can offer some relief