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Disney’s ‘Zootopia 2’ Set to Join $1 Billion Box Office Club

This image released by Disney shows Nick Wilde, voiced by Jason Bateman, left, and Judy Hopps, voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin, in a scene from "Zootopia 2." (Disney via AP)
This image released by Disney shows Nick Wilde, voiced by Jason Bateman, left, and Judy Hopps, voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin, in a scene from "Zootopia 2." (Disney via AP)
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Disney’s ‘Zootopia 2’ Set to Join $1 Billion Box Office Club

This image released by Disney shows Nick Wilde, voiced by Jason Bateman, left, and Judy Hopps, voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin, in a scene from "Zootopia 2." (Disney via AP)
This image released by Disney shows Nick Wilde, voiced by Jason Bateman, left, and Judy Hopps, voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin, in a scene from "Zootopia 2." (Disney via AP)

Walt Disney Animation Studios' "Zootopia 2" is on track to surpass $1 billion at the global box office, the company said on Friday, as the sequel continues its strong run in international markets.

The film, which revisits the bustling animal metropolis of "Zootopia," features returning characters Judy Hopps, a rabbit police officer voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin, and her fox partner Nick Wilde, voiced by Jason Bateman.

The duo embarks on a new adventure that blends humor and social themes, echoing the formula that made the original a hit.

"Zootopia 2" opened strongly over the US Thanksgiving weekend, giving Hollywood a boost at the start of the critical holiday season.

The film's runaway success has been fueled by an extraordinary reception in China, where "Zootopia 2" dominated the box office during its opening weekend, accounting for roughly 95% of all ticket sales nationwide.

The original "Zootopia" also became China's most popular foreign animated film when it was released in 2016.

The performance offers welcome relief for theater operators hoping for packed cinemas through Christmas, traditionally the second-busiest moviegoing period of the year. Global box office receipts have yet to return to the pre-pandemic levels seen in 2019.

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Entertainment

Disney to Invest $1 Billion in OpenAI, License Characters for Sora Video Tool

FILE PHOTO: The main gate of entertainment giant Walt Disney Co. is pictured in Burbank, California May 5, 2009. REUTERS/Fred Prouser
FILE PHOTO: The main gate of entertainment giant Walt Disney Co. is pictured in Burbank, California May 5, 2009. REUTERS/Fred Prouser
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Disney to Invest $1 Billion in OpenAI, License Characters for Sora Video Tool

FILE PHOTO: The main gate of entertainment giant Walt Disney Co. is pictured in Burbank, California May 5, 2009. REUTERS/Fred Prouser
FILE PHOTO: The main gate of entertainment giant Walt Disney Co. is pictured in Burbank, California May 5, 2009. REUTERS/Fred Prouser

Walt Disney is investing $1 billion in OpenAI and will let the startup use characters from Star Wars, Pixar and Marvel franchises in its Sora AI video generator, a crucial deal that could reshape how Hollywood makes content.

The three-year partnership announced on Thursday is a pivotal step in Hollywood's embrace of generative artificial intelligence, side-stepping the industry's concerns over the impact of AI on creative jobs and intellectual property rights.

As part of the licensing deal, Sora and ChatGPT Images will start generating videos using licensed Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse, Cinderella and Mufasa, from early next year. The agreement excludes any talent likenesses or voices.

"Through this collaboration with OpenAI we will thoughtfully and responsibly extend the reach of our storytelling through generative AI, while respecting and protecting creators and their works," Disney CEO Bob Iger said.

OpenAI has been engaging with Disney and others in Hollywood for the past year in its search for partners, a person with knowledge of the discussions said.
The move marks a major shift in Disney's approach to AI - the company had decided to keep out its characters from the Sora app when OpenAI was in talks with companies regarding the tool's copyright policy.

Disney and Comcast's Universal had in June filed a copyright lawsuit against AI photo generation firm Midjourney for its use of the studios' best-known characters.

As part of the agreement with OpenAI, a selection of the videos by users will be made available for streaming on Disney+, allowing the streaming platform to capitalize on the growing appeal for short-form video content.

The media conglomerate will also receive warrants to purchase additional equity in the ChatGPT maker.

The companies will use OpenAI's models to build new products and customer experiences, including for Disney+ subscribers, while Disney will deploy ChatGPT for its employees, Reuters reported.

The partnership comes months after Hollywood's premier talent agency sharply criticized the same technology Disney is now embracing.

Creative Artists Agency, which represents thousands of actors, directors and music artists, said in October OpenAI was exposing artists to "significant risk" through Sora, questioning whether the AI company believed creative professionals "deserve to be compensated and credited for the work they create".

Entertainment

In Photos, the Details that Illuminated the 2025 Marrakech International Film Festival

An actress holds a Schiaparelli purse while posing for a photo on the red carpet during 22nd Marrakech Film Festival, in Morocco, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
An actress holds a Schiaparelli purse while posing for a photo on the red carpet during 22nd Marrakech Film Festival, in Morocco, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
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In Photos, the Details that Illuminated the 2025 Marrakech International Film Festival

An actress holds a Schiaparelli purse while posing for a photo on the red carpet during 22nd Marrakech Film Festival, in Morocco, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
An actress holds a Schiaparelli purse while posing for a photo on the red carpet during 22nd Marrakech Film Festival, in Morocco, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)

The carpet outside the 2025 edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival was unfurled in its usual red, but the stars who walked across it shimmered in every color.

Actors and filmmakers drifted down its length in embroidered velvet robes and delicately cut black lace dresses, amid the sounds of camera shutters and microphones humming.

Some ensembles nodded explicitly to the region: hand-stitched caftans and robes with hems that followed the geometry of North African embroidery, The AP news reported.
Youssra, one of Egypt’s best-known actors, carried a black sequined, pearl-trimmed clutch emblazoned with her name across the front, recognizable to audiences all over the Middle East.

Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir poses for a photo on the red carpet during the 22nd Marrakech Film Festival, in Morocco, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)

Others went crisp and relied on an austere palette of black and white to make their statement. And woven through were quiet gestures of political intent. Clutches patterned like keffiyehs, pins worn close to the heart — small but unmistakable signals of solidarity with Palestinians at a festival on the edge of a region in conflict.

This year’s festival — whose guests included jury president Bong Joon Ho, Jafar Panahi and Anya Taylor-Joy — concluded Saturday.

An actress poses for a photo on the red carpet during the 22nd Marrakech Film Festival, in Morocco, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Entertainment

Iceland to Boycott 2026 Eurovision in Protest of Go-Ahead for Israel

12 May 2024, Sweden, Malmo: Pro-Palestinian protesters hold flags during a demonstration opposing Israel's participation in the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest ESC in Malmo. (dpa)
12 May 2024, Sweden, Malmo: Pro-Palestinian protesters hold flags during a demonstration opposing Israel's participation in the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest ESC in Malmo. (dpa)
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Iceland to Boycott 2026 Eurovision in Protest of Go-Ahead for Israel

12 May 2024, Sweden, Malmo: Pro-Palestinian protesters hold flags during a demonstration opposing Israel's participation in the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest ESC in Malmo. (dpa)
12 May 2024, Sweden, Malmo: Pro-Palestinian protesters hold flags during a demonstration opposing Israel's participation in the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest ESC in Malmo. (dpa)

Iceland will not take part in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, the country's public broadcaster RUV said on Wednesday, after organizer the European Broadcasting Union last week cleared Israel's participation.

The decision to allow Israel to take part in the next Eurovision, which will be held in Vienna in May, earlier prompted Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Slovenia to withdraw in protest, citing Israel's conduct in the Gaza war.

"It is clear from the public debate in this country and the reaction to the EBU's decision last week that there will be neither joy nor peace regarding RUV's participation," the broadcaster's Director General Stefan Eiriksson said in a statement.

Iceland was among the countries that had requested a vote last week on Israel's participation. But the European Broadcasting Union, or EBU, decided not to call a vote on Israel's participation, saying it had instead passed new rules aimed at discouraging governments from influencing the contest.

Iceland has never won the song contest but came second in 1999 and 2009. The Eurovision Song Contest dates back to 1956 and reaches around 160 million viewers, according to the EBU.