Disney is feeling both sides of the box office this weekend.
A Billion Dollar Win
The studio’s animated sequel “Zootopia 2” roars back to No. 1 in North America in its third weekend. The film regains the top spot after racing past the $1 billion mark worldwide. It remains one of Disney’s strongest theatrical performers and a clear reminder of the studio’s dominance in animation and family entertainment.
A Costly Miss
The story looks very different for “Ella McCay.” The political dramedy opens to just $2.1 million domestically. The debut ranks among the worst openings in modern times for Disney.
Context matters. “Ella McCay” carries a production budget of $35 million. That figure is far below the studio’s usual theatrical spend. Most Disney releases, including Marvel titles, the “Avatar” franchise, and family hits like “Inside Out 2” and “Lilo & Stitch,” often exceed $200 million.
The PG-13 film is unlikely to turn a profit. Still, the modest budget means the disappointment is not expected to trigger major internal fallout.
The top 12 movies of the weekend, as of Sunday, December 14, are as follows:
| # | Title | Worldwide Wknd | Intl Wknd | Dom Wknd | Worldwide Cume | Intl Cume | Dom Cume | Intl | Terrs | Dom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zootopia 2 | $157,400,000 | $131,100,000 | $26,300,000 | $1,136,670,004 | $877,700,000 | $258,970,004 | DISNEY | 53 | DIS |
| 2 | Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 | $38,618,000 | $19,118,000 | $19,500,000 | $173,790,000 | $78,309,000 | $95,481,000 | UPI | 79 | UNI |
| 3 | Dhurandhar | $23,790,370 | $20,340,000 | $3,450,370 | $61,296,767 | $53,410,000 | $7,886,767 | MULTI | 21 | MOVIEGOERS |
| 4 | Wicked: For Good | $16,209,000 | $7,659,000 | $8,550,000 | $467,962,000 | $155,817,000 | $312,145,000 | UPI | 81 | UNI |
| 5 | Gezhi Town | $9,882,000 | $9,882,000 | $42,843,300 | $42,843,300 | MULTICN | 1 | |||
| 6 | Akhanda 2 – Thaandavam | $9,756,329 | $9,390,000 | $366,329 | $10,208,650 | $9,390,000 | $818,650 | MULTI | 11 | CNGX |
| 7 | Now You See Me: Now You Don’t | $7,956,100 | $5,576,100 | $2,380,000 | $213,525,000 | $154,185,000 | $59,340,000 | MULTI | 59 | LGF |
| 8 | JUJUTSU KAISEN: Execution | $5,603,200 | $3,501,200 | $2,102,000 | $48,900,000 | $34,400,000 | $14,500,000 | MULTI | 70 | GKIDS |
| 9 | Eternity | $2,967,328 | $1,193,000 | $1,774,328 | $17,283,615 | $4,285,000 | $12,998,615 | MULTI | 22 | A24 |
| 10 | Ella McCay | $2,400,000 | $300,000 | $2,100,000 | $2,400,000 | $300,000 | $2,100,000 | DISNEY | 6 | 20 |
