Animatronic scares and buddy-cop laughs just took over the holiday box office. ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s 2’ stormed in after Thanksgiving and grabbed the number one spot, pulling in a wild $63 million at home. That’s not just a win—it smashed records and gave theaters a jolt of energy right when they needed it. And Disney’s ‘Zootopia 2’ isn’t slowing down either. Even in its second weekend, it brought in another $43 million across the U.S., inching closer to that huge $1 billion mark worldwide. Add it all up, and this weekend hit $150 million at the box office—a new record for this time of year, beating last year’s $137 million. After a slow October, theater owners finally have something to cheer about.

Five Nights at Freddy's 2' Trailer Brings the Mayhem 

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2: A Horror Sequel That Breaks the Mold

Nobody really expected the sequel to blow past projections like this. Industry folks thought it’d open somewhere between $35 and $40 million, but it left those numbers in the dust. Emma Tammi’s back in the director’s chair, just like the first time, but this movie’s not just more of the same. Blumhouse took a real risk here. Instead of keeping all the terror bottled up inside Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, they let the animatronic nightmares loose on the outside world. It shakes things up, gives the story a new edge, and, honestly, it’s a treat for diehard fans and people just jumping into the franchise.

The big difference this time? They skipped the streaming release. The first movie hit Peacock and theaters at the same time, but the sequel went all-in on cinemas. That move paid off. On Friday alone—including those early preview screenings—it pulled in $30.1 million. Then, on Saturday, it only dropped 33%, which is even better than the first film’s 39% decline. People really seem to like what they’re seeing, and it looks like they’re coming back for more.

Josh Hutcherson Battles Animatronics in 'Five Nights at  

Josh Hutcherson and Elizabeth Lail are back, leading this PG-13 horror sequel that somehow walks the line between genuine scares and big crowd appeal. With just a $36 million budget, the film’s already turning into a huge win for the studio and Atomic Monster—exactly what Blumhouse needed after a rough stretch of flops.

Record-Breaking Performance

‘Five Nights at Freddy’s 2’ smashed all kinds of box office records right out of the gate. It pulled in the biggest opening ever for a movie released right after Thanksgiving, blowing past the $24.2 million record set by ‘The Last Samurai’ back in 2003. It also scored the highest opening for the 49th weekend of the year, beating out ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ and its $38.1 million haul.

But that’s not all. For Universal Pictures, this was their biggest December opening ever, topping the $50.1 million debut that ‘King Kong’ managed in 2005. Within horror movies, it now holds the record for the largest December opening of all time, outdoing ‘Scream 2’ from 1997. And if you’re watching the PG-13 horror space, ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s 2’ just became the top opener of 2025, leaving ‘Predator: Badlands’ in the dust.

The movie didn’t just do well in the U.S.—it crushed it overseas, too. In Mexico, it raked in $6.9 million, making it Universal’s second-biggest horror opening there and Blumhouse’s second-best as well, even topping the original ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s.’ Over in the UK and Ireland, it made $4.4 million, which is the biggest horror opening Universal’s ever had in those markets. Add it all together and, with $46 million pouring in from 76 countries, the global opening hit $109 million.

Zootopia 2: An Animated Phenomenon Racing Toward Box Office History

Zootopia 2' Review: Reptile-Inclusive Sequel Tips the Scales 
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 took first place, but Disney’s Zootopia 2 isn’t slowing down. The animated sequel keeps smashing records, pulling in an unbelievable $915.8 million worldwide after just two weekends. It’s already sitting among the biggest box office hits ever, and at this pace, it’ll break the $1 billion mark within days. That would make it only the second movie released in the U.S. this year to reach that milestone.

Zootopia 2’s buddy cop adventure has already locked in its spot as the third highest-grossing Hollywood movie of 2025 and the top earner internationally. Most of its haul—$695.3 million—comes from overseas, with fans in 52 different countries flocking to see it. The movie’s appeal is especially strong in places like China, where it’s turned into a full-blown phenomenon.

China’s really where the story gets wild. Zootopia 2 has raked in $430.4 million there, making it the second biggest studio movie ever in the country, just behind Avengers: Endgame. The numbers got a boost from the Zootopia-themed area at Shanghai Disney Resort, which helped the movie connect with Chinese fans. Add in some clever animal-themed marketing tied to the Chinese zodiac, and it’s no wonder Zootopia 2 has become such a runaway hit.
Zootopia 2' Hits an Unexpectedly Human Note 
China pulled in $219 million this weekend across international markets, holding strong in some big spots: Brazil dropped just 27%, Germany dipped 18%, Australia fell 27%, Spain 28%, Italy 34%, China itself 45%, and Mexico 46%. Thanks to this run, Disney just blew past $5 billion at the global box office for 2025. They're the first—and only—studio to do that this year, and it’s actually the second year in a row they’ve managed it.

Now, let’s talk North America. ‘Zootopia 2’ brought in $220.5 million in just its first two weekends. That’s a wild pace for an animated movie. Right now, it stands as the fifth highest-grossing Disney Animation release ever, and it’s not done climbing. Analysts say it’s headed for $1.5 to $1.7 billion worldwide, maybe even more, since it keeps holding steady across markets.

Opening weekend numbers looked especially good: ‘Zootopia 2’ snagged the second-best 5-day Thanksgiving opening ever, just behind ‘Moana 2’ from earlier in 2024. Over in Japan, it debuted at number one with $12.3 million—only ‘Frozen 2’ did better for a Hollywood release there.

So yeah, that’s the lay of the land for the box office right now, and it’s definitely shaking up the industry.
Zootopia 2' Sets Box Office With $556 Million Globally 
The big wins from these two films have really given theaters a much-needed boost. Over the weekend, ticket sales hit $150 million. That’s not just better than anyone guessed—it actually shattered the old post-Thanksgiving record of $137 million. Now, with just a few weeks left in the year, the domestic box office has hit $8 billion. That’s only happened once since 2020, and it took ‘Oppenheimer’ to get there last year.

Theater owners are feeling hopeful—maybe a little nervous, too—about hitting $9 billion before the year wraps up. It’s doable, but they need a strong December, especially after Christmas. Paul Dergarabedian from Comscore says it’s a tough target, but not out of reach, especially with some big movies still on the way. ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ lands December 19, ‘The Housemaid’ drops the next day, and then ‘The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Search for Squarepants’ hits theaters on Christmas.

Still, things aren’t all rosy. The movie industry keeps running into the same tough problems. Streaming is a huge one, and it just got a lot more intense—Netflix is buying Warner Bros. for a whopping $82.7 billion. Theater owners are definitely feeling the pressure and starting to wonder if they can keep up. This isn’t just another business deal. It’s a shot across the bow for traditional cinemas, and it makes the competition even tougher for everyone showing movies on the big screen.

On top of that, not every release is thriving. ‘Wicked: For Good’ took a big hit in its third weekend, earning $15.6 million and reaching $295.8 million overall. That’s a step down from what the original ‘Wicked’ managed at the same point. ‘Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution’ opened in fourth place with $10.2 million, while Tarantino’s ‘Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair’ re-release brought in $3.2 million, and ‘Now You See Me: Now You Don’t’ made $3.5 million.

Critics weren’t kind to ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s 2’—it’s sitting at just 13% on Rotten Tomatoes, even lower than the first movie’s 33%. But audiences couldn’t care less. They gave it a B CinemaScore, which is pretty solid for a horror flick. Once again, there’s a clear gap between what critics think and what regular moviegoers actually want. For a lot of fans, it’s about the fun, not the reviews.
Zootopia 2 to Reach $1 Billion in Box Office Sales - WDW  
Zootopia 2, on the other hand, has won over critics and audiences alike. It’s not just popular—it’s a full-blown cultural event now. Critics are still praising it, and it’s smashing box office records. That’s the kind of one-two punch that cements its spot as one of the standout animated films of this decade.

So, what does all this say about where Hollywood's headed? Honestly, these movies lay out the blueprint for the rest of the year: people want to get back to theaters, whether they’re looking for creepy animatronics or a wild ride with animated animals. When you see a PG-13 horror flick and a family-friendly sequel both topping the charts, it’s clear there’s room for all sorts of stories—if the studios are willing to take the chance and make stuff that actually excites people.

Now, with just a few weeks left in 2025, box office watchers are pretty sure the industry won’t hit that $9 billion mark, but it should easily clear $8.5 billion. The back-to-back wins from Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 and Zootopia 2 have given theaters a real shot in the arm, and that momentum could keep things rolling into the last stretch of the year, especially with some big movies dropping after Christmas.

The real test? Whether this energy lasts through December, or if that rough patch back in October ends up shaping how we remember 2025 at the movies. But here’s what’s obvious: horror and animation together have real power, and both these franchises look set to stick around as major players at the box office.