‘Zootopia 2’ regained the No. 1 spot at the domestic box office with USD 26.3 million in its third weekend of release, according to studio estimates Sunday, as The Walt Disney Co. animated sequel became the year’s second film to gross USD 1 billion worldwide.With ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ arriving Friday, it was a relatively quiet weekend in theaters. There were no major new releases, leaving holdovers ‘Zootopia 2’ and ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s 2’ to duke it out for the top spot.
‘Zootopia 2’ hits USD 1 billion mark
The edge went to ‘Zootopia 2’, which has quickly amassed USD 1.14 billion in global ticket sales thanks significantly to its enormous success in China. There, it’s grossed USD 502.4 million, making the film the biggest Hollywood hit in the country in years. The only other 2025 Hollywood title to surpass $1 billion worldwide was Disney’s ‘Lilo & Stitch’ which earned USD 1.04 billion. The highest grossing movie of the year, though, is the Chinese blockbuster ‘Ne Zha 2’, which collected nearly USD 2 billion just in China.
‘Five Nights at Freddy’s 2’ takes No. 2 spot
In its second weekend of release, ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s 2’ collected USD 15.4 million, a brutal drop of 70% from its above-expectations debut. Still, with a domestic total of USD 95.5 million, the USD 36 million production is a big win for Blumhouse, adding another horror franchise to its portfolio.
Bollywood film ‘Dhurandha’ breaks into Top 5
Aditya Dhar’s Hindi spy thriller ‘Dhurandhar’ continued its strong run at the overseas box office in its second weekend, emerging as one of the top-performing Indian releases globally. According to Comscore, the film ranked No. 4 in its second week across 377 screens, earning USD 3.45 million over the three-day weekend. ‘Dhurandhar’ stars Ranveer Singh and follows an intricate network of criminals, informants and covert operatives whose lives collide in a high-stakes espionage narrative. The film’s international performance has exceeded expectations, with North America leading the charge taking its cumulative total to USD 7.89 million. In just 10 days, the film has grossed over Rs 71.47 crore in the region, significantly boosting its overseas tally.Overall, ‘Dhurandhar’ has now crossed the Rs 110 crore mark at the overseas box office. Trade analysts note that the film’s momentum has only strengthened with time, fuelling speculation that it could end the year as the biggest Indian overseas grosser, and potentially the top worldwide performer as well.
‘Ella McCay ‘ becomes one of 2025’s worst releases
The weekend’s most notable new release was James L. Brook’s ‘Ella McCay’, his first directed film in 15 years. ‘Ella McCay’ earned a scant USD 2.1 million from 2,500 locations, making it one of the year’s worst wide releases.But box-office expectations weren’t high coming in from a comic drama about a 34-year-old woman (newcomer Emma Mackey) who becomes governor of her home state. Reviews (22% “fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes) were poor, and the kind of award-winning comic dramas movies that Brooks has long specialized in today seldom find large audiences in theaters. ‘Ella McCay’, featuring a supporting cast including Jamie Lee Curtis, Ayo Edebiri and Woody Harrelson, cost USD 35 million to make.
‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’, ‘Anaconda’ to boost American box office
With overall ticket sales on the year running close to even with last year’s disappointing grosses, according to Comscore data, Hollywood will be hoping the coming holiday corridor, traditionally the busiest moviegoing period of the year, ends 2025 on a high note. Movies on tap include ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’, ‘The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants’, ‘Marty Supreme’, ‘Anaconda’ and ‘Song Sung Blue’.
Top 10 movies at Nort American box office
With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:1. ‘Zootopia 2’, USD 26.3 million. 2. ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s 2’, USD 19.5 million. 3. ‘Wicked: For Good’, USD 8.6 million. 4. ‘Dhurandhar’, USD 3.5 million. 5. ‘Now You See Me: Now You Don’t’, USD 2.4 million.6. ‘Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution’, USD 2.1 million. 7. ‘Ella McCay’, USD 2.1 million. 8. ‘Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ (2000), USD 1.9 million. 9. ‘Eternity’, USD 1.8 million. 10. ‘Hamnet’, USD 1.5 million.
