They’ve got Star Wars. They’ve got Marvel. They’ve got Pixar. They’ve got Jack Sparrow. And now, it seems, they have Zootopia, a brand-spanking-new franchise set in a frightening alternate universe of hyper-intelligent, fully clothed animals. Disney has been a pop-culture powerhouse for decades, but this is getting out of hand, isn’t it? Will there come a time, not so long from now, when every new studio event picture will be housed within the Mouse House?
Buoyed by excellent reviews and an “A” CinemaScore rating, Zootopia edged out Frozen to become the animation studio’s biggest three-day debut ever, though that’s definitely not counting a whole slew of releases from sister company Pixar. The film’s $73.7 million bow also secured it a bunch of other somewhat arbitrary records. (Best debut for an animated movie in March! Ninth largest animated opening ever! Best, uh, first-weekend showing for a Jason Bateman vehicle!) But there’s no denying that, after a few years of low-impact efforts (we’re looking at you, Bolt), Disney seems to have entered another renaissance period. And that, again, is without taking Pixar into account.
In a futile attempt to stave off Mickey’s multiplex monopoly, a few other studios also released movies this weekend, with less-than-notable results. London Has Fallen, latest recipient of the rare and elusive A.V. Club F grade, made $21.7 million—a good chunk less than its predecessor, possibly because it’s a good deal worse than its predecessor. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, meanwhile, landed a notch below expectations with $7.6 million, while Fox dumped The Other Side Of The Door into only 546 theaters, predictably resulting in a dismal $1.2 million opening. Not that the studio had much occasion to care: Deadpool, their successful experiment in R-rated superhero franchise building, continues to do strong business; landing at number three on the charts with an additional $16.4 million, the comic-book origin story is now the third-highest-grossing R-rated movie ever. Disney, in other words, has no monopoly on arbitrary box-office records.
For more detailed numbers, visit Box Office Mojo.