Zootopia 2 is expected to be a huge success on opening weekend. The first film was released in 2016 and grossed over $1 billion at the global box office. Along with a 98% Rotten Tomatoes score and multiple awards racked up, the Byron Howard and Rich Moore-directed movie was a lucrative achievement for Disney.

The sequel, Zootopia 2, will be released in theaters on November 26, the day before Thanksgiving.

With just three weeks to go until its theatrical release, box office projections have been revealed for Zootopia 2. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film is on track to gross $125 million domestically during the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend, which spans five days from Wednesday to Sunday. Pre-sale tickets are already heating up, with sales on par with Inside Out 2.

By comparison, Zootopia opened to $75.1 million in its opening weekend. The first film was released in March 2016. Zootopia 2 has the advantage of being released over Thanksgiving weekend, which will help its box office numbers even more.

Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate, Bonnie Hunt, Tommy Chong, J. K. Simmons, Octavia Spencer, Kristen Bell and Shakira were a part of the cast for the star-studded 2016 film. Most of them are returning for the sequel, where they will be joined by new cast members Ke Huy Quan, Fortune Feimster, and Quinta Brunson, among others.

In Zootopia, cop Judy Hopps and criminal Nick Wilde join forces to uncover the reason behind several predators going missing. The sequel will see the duo team up once again as they face off against a pit viper named Gary De’Snake.

“Zoo,” the Shakira song that’ll be featured in Zootopia 2, has already been nominated for Song – Animated Film at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards. To tide audiences over for the sequel, Disney released a series on Disney+ called Zootopia+ in 2022, which included six shorts and focused on characters from the first film.

Now nine years after the original film made a splash in theaters, Zootopia 2 is almost here to help save the 2025 moviegoing experience. October box office revenue plummeted to an almost 30-year low (not counting October 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic), with movies like Tron: Ares underperforming.

Movie studios will be able to breathe a sigh of relief in November, though, with Wicked: For Good and Zootopia 2 expected to dominate the box office. Other films in November include Predator: Badlands and Now You See Me: Now You Don’t. December will see the return of the juggernaut Avatar franchise to provide another jolt to the box office.

Zootopia 2 will be released in theaters on Wednesday, November 26, 2025.