Disney’s Zootopia 2 reigns supreme, becoming the highest-grossing animated film of 2025 with a staggering $1.42 billion worldwide-and it happened fast. The sequel shattered box office records, reaching the billion-dollar mark in just 17 days, a feat unmatched by any PG-rated film before it.
Animated Blockbusters Dominate 2025 Box Office
The year saw a surge in animated success,with several films exceeding expectations and captivating audiences globally.
- Zootopia 2 led the pack, earning $1.42 billion worldwide.
- China’s Ne Zha 2 topped global animated charts with $2.15 billion, despite modest US numbers.
- Warner Bros.’ A Minecraft Movie proved a live-action/animation hybrid hit, grossing over $423.9 million domestically.
- Independent studio Angel Studios saw success with faith-based animated films The King of Kings and David.
- CG animation and visual effects were central to the success of many top-performing films.
Worldwide, the top three animated films of 2025 were Ne Zha 2 ($2.15 billion), Zootopia 2 ($1.42 billion), and Dämonentöter: Kimetsu no Yaiba ($718.5 million). in the US, Zootopia 2 took the top spot with $321.2 million, followed by Dämonentöter: Kimetsu no Yaiba ($134.5 million) and Mufasa: The Lion King ($126.4 million).
The domestic top ten was heavily influenced by films relying on computer-generated imagery and visual effects, including A Minecraft Movie, Lilo & Stitch, Superman, Jurassic World: Rebirth, Wicked: For good, Sinners, The Fantastic Four: Getting Started, How to Train Your Dragon, and Avatar: Fire and Ash.
Disney and DreamWorks Lead the Animation Charge
Disney had a especially strong year,with four of the top animated films: Zootopia 2,Mufasa: The Lion King,Elio,and Moana 2. DreamWorks also saw success with Dog Man ($97.9 million) and The Bad Guys 2 ($82.6 million), landing at numbers four and five domestically, respectively.
Utah-based Angel Studios, known for its crowdfunded and religiously themed content, achieved notable results with The King of Kings ($60.3 million) at number seven and the Christmas release David ($52.4 million) at number nine. Paramount’s The SpongeBob Movie also performed well,grossing $38.1 million since its December 18th release.
