The Thanksgiving box office is roaring back to life this year, led by Disney’s highly anticipated Zootopia 2, which is projected to dominate the holiday stretch with an impressive $140 million 5-day opening across 4,000 theaters. With this performance, Disney is set to retain its long-standing record of holding nine of the top ten Thanksgiving 5-day openings.
Early numbers show Zootopia 2 pulling in an estimated $39 million on Wednesday alone, including $10.2 million from Tuesday previews—now the second-best Thanksgiving Wednesday opening behind last year’s Moana 2. The film’s Friday–Sunday range is estimated at $88M–$90M, reinforcing Disney’s strong holiday presence.
Premium formats are boosting grosses as well, though IMAX screens are shared between Zootopia 2 and Universal’s musical sequel Wicked: For Good, which is also securing solid numbers.
Strong Opening for Wicked: For Good
Universal’s Wicked: For Good continues to impress, taking in around $17 million on Wednesday at 4,115 locations. Though slightly below last year’s opening for the first Wicked installment, the sequel is expected to finish the three-day weekend with $60.2M and $90M over the five-day stretch. Its projected total by Sunday stands at $267.4M.
Other Thanksgiving Box Office Performances
While Zootopia 2 and Wicked: For Good dominate headlines, several other films are contributing to the holiday box office:
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t (Lionsgate)
- 3,138 theaters
- $1.5M on Wednesday
- $6.4M third weekend (-28%)
- $9.25M 5-day
- Running total: $48.7M
Predator: Badlands (Disney/20th Century Studios)
- 2,750 theaters
- $855K Wednesday
- $3.9M fourth weekend (-40%)
- $5.65M 5-day
- Running total: $84M
This total pushes Predator: Badlands past Alien vs. Predator to become the highest-grossing entry in the franchise domestically.
Running Man (Paramount)
- $910K Wednesday
- $4.1M weekend (-28%)
- $5.88M 5-day
- Running total: $34.5M
Eternity (A24)
- 1,348 locations
- $400K Wednesday
- $2M three-day
- Over $3M four-day
The afterlife-themed rom-com, starring Elizabeth Olsen and Miles Teller, sits at a strong 76% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Zootopia 2 Preview Numbers Reach Major Milestones
Tuesday previews of Zootopia 2 generated $10.2M—the second-highest ever for a Disney Animation title, behind Moana 2’s $13.8M. The film now ranks eighth among the biggest animated preview grosses of all time, sitting just below Minions: The Rise of Gru and above many other major animated releases.
The domestic forecast for Zootopia 2 currently sits at $125M for the 5-day stretch, though many analysts believe the movie has room to outperform that estimate. Its global opening is projected to exceed $270M. Early critic reviews have been strong as well, earning 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Holiday Box Office Landscape
Wicked: For Good also had an impressive Tuesday with $15.75M, making it one of the strongest November Tuesday openings. Its cumulative total of $177.5M is tracking 22% ahead of the original Wicked.
However, unlike last year’s trio of Moana 2, Wicked, and Gladiator II—which collectively pushed Thanksgiving totals to a record $424.9M—this year lacks a major male-targeted blockbuster. The absence of a title comparable to Gladiator II is noticeable, with The Running Man falling short of expectations. Overall Tuesday revenue sits 25% lower than the same period last year.
