Known as Zootropolis here in the UK for reasons that still have yet to be fully explained, the latest offering from Walt Disney Feature Animation's latest release, Zootopia, is proving to be a big hit with Stateside audiences. The film has roared to a record-breaking $73.7 million in its first weekend on release, according to studio estimates.
That's actually more than Frozen, which went on to become Disney's biggest film of the new iteration of the studio, yet only earned $67.3 million on its Stateside release – and that was over a Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The blend of cute animal antics and a subtext about race relations and acceptance is clearly hitting a chord. Plus, it's also doing well globally, becoming the biggest opener for any Disney or Pixar film in China and earning a worldwide total of $232 million.
It opened much better than Gerard Butler's latest attempt to conquer the charts with action sequel London Has Fallen. After last week's disappointment with Gods Of Egypt, he's now watching the follow-up to 2013's Olympus Has Fallen open in second place with $21.7 million. Olympus, for comparison, opened to $30.3 million, and went on to be the surprise box office winner in the battle of the White House action films in its year. London is showing less strength, even though audiences have been giving it much better responses than critics.
Deadpool is still holding well, with the film slipping to third and $xx million, and crossed $300 million in the US by the end of the weekend. Tina Fey's latest, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot couldn't exactly muster big numbers for a fourth place launch, and WTF might be the reaction of Paramount on Monday morning when the film reports in its $7.6 million opening haul.
We mentioned Gods Of Egypt earlier, and it has already begun to sink down the charts, dropping from second to fifth with $5 million. It has earned $22.8 million in the States so far. Biblical mystery Risen was sixth, earning $3.8 million, ahead of Kung Fu Panda 3 in seventh with $3.5 million.
The Revenant enjoyed a post-Oscars bump, leaping back from 10th to eighth and $3.3 million, while Eddie The Eagle slid slightly to ninth with $3.1 million. The Witch replaced The Revenant at 10th, finding $2.5 million along the way.