The animated sequel crossed $1 billion globally while James L. Brooks’ drama disappointed with just $2.2 million in its opening weekend.
Zootopia 2 remained firmly in first place during its third weekend, pulling in an estimated $26 million and bringing its domestic total to $257.6 million. The animated sequel’s 40% drop represents a healthy hold for a family film entering its third frame, demonstrating continued audience interest in the adventures of Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde.
The Disney threequel achieved another milestone by crossing $1 billion at the global box office, becoming the fastest Hollywood animated film ever to reach that mark. The accomplishment places it among elite company as only the third movie of 2025 to hit the billion-dollar threshold, following Ne Zha 2 and Lilo & Stitch.
Friday brought in approximately $6 million for Zootopia 2, setting up a strong weekend performance that kept family audiences returning to theaters. The film has benefited from positive word of mouth, strong reviews, and the lack of significant animated competition during the crucial holiday corridor.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 holds second place
Universal and Blumhouse’s Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 claimed the second spot with an estimated $19.6 million in its second weekend, experiencing a 69% drop. The horror sequel’s running total now stands at $95.7 million domestically after less than two weeks in theaters.
While the percentage decline appears steep, it actually represents an improvement over the first film’s second-weekend performance. The original Five Nights at Freddy’s fell 76% in its second frame, though that drop occurred after the movie debuted simultaneously on Peacock and in theaters. The purely theatrical release strategy for the sequel has created a more front-loaded audience pattern similar to anime releases, where passionate fans rush out opening weekend.
Friday brought in $5.5 million for the video game adaptation, which continues to perform well with its core demographic despite limited appeal beyond that fanbase. The film should cruise past $100 million domestically within days.
Wicked: For Good maintains momentum
Universal’s Wicked: For Good secured third place in its fourth weekend with an estimated $8 million, representing a 54% decline. The musical sequel’s domestic total now sits at $311.6 million after crossing the $300 million threshold on Tuesday.
The achievement makes Wicked: For Good the fifth film of 2025 to surpass $300 million domestically, joining A Minecraft Movie, Lilo & Stitch, Superman, and Jurassic World: Rebirth. However, the sequel is pacing 13% behind the original Wicked at the same point in its theatrical run. The first film eventually finished with $474.9 million domestically, a total that appears increasingly difficult for the sequel to match.
Friday generated $2.1 million across 3,480 theaters, showing the musical still has legs heading into the lucrative Christmas holiday period when family audiences have more free time to catch up on films they missed earlier.
Ella McCay fails to connect with audiences
The weekend’s biggest disappointment came from Disney’s wide release of Ella McCay, which managed only an estimated $2.2 million from 2,500 theaters. The James L. Brooks-directed dramedy represents the 85-year-old filmmaker’s seventh directorial effort and his worst-reviewed movie ever at 24% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The opening marks Brooks’ lowest wide release debut as a director, falling below even last year’s poorly received Here, which opened to $4.8 million. Previews that began Thursday afternoon brought in approximately $200,000, signaling trouble ahead for the opening weekend.
Disney selected the mid-December release date based on Brooks’ historical success in this corridor with films like Broadcast News, Spanglish, and How Do You Know. The strategy relied on strong reviews attracting an older female audience during the slower pre-Christmas weekend. Instead, critics savaged the film and audiences stayed away.
The movie earned a B- CinemaScore, better than How Do You Know‘s C- but hardly encouraging. PostTrak audiences were harsher, giving the film just 2 stars with 62% positive responses and only a 39% definite recommend. The audience skewed 57% female and 59% over 45, with viewers under 25 representing a nearly nonexistent 12%.
Why Ella McCay struggled to find viewers
Multiple factors contributed to the film’s failure. Emma Mackey, while talented, lacks the name recognition to open a movie in wide release. The premise, following a newly appointed state lieutenant governor dealing with difficult men in her life, felt dated to modern audiences. Social media response proved particularly brutal, with viewers criticizing everything from casting choices to the film’s scream-therapy sequences.
The production cost $30 million before marketing expenses, significantly less than Brooks’ previous efforts like How Do You Know at $120 million or Spanglish at $80 million. Even with the reduced budget, the opening ensures the film will lose money theatrically.
Perhaps most telling is the shift in how audiences consume prestige dramedies. Content that once drew viewers to theaters now populates streaming services and premium cable. HBO offered this type of programming in 2010 when How Do You Know flopped. Today, every major streaming platform delivers similar stories directly to homes, eliminating any compelling reason to buy theater tickets for modest character-driven dramas.
Holiday box office shows mixed results
The overall weekend is tracking toward approximately $80 million, down 15% from last year’s $94.2 million. However, last year included two wide releases that both failed, Kraven the Hunter and The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, which combined for roughly $15.5 million. Subtracting those disappointments reveals comparable performance driven by holdovers rather than new releases.
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas continues performing well in re-release, adding $1.8 million to reach a cumulative total of $264.2 million. The Jim Carrey holiday classic demonstrates enduring appeal with families seeking seasonal entertainment.
SOURCE: DEADLINE