The numbers are negligible, but the symbolism is nice. More than four years after its first release, Disney’s Zootopia is back at the top of the box office, having grossed all of $280,000 over the weekend. The Oscar-winning feature now boasts a lifetime domestic total of around $341.5 million.
Marvel’s The Avengers (2012) came second last weekend with $260,000. Universal’s Trolls World Tour, which premiered simultaneously online and in theaters in April, was the only other animated feature in the top ten, coming in seventh with $138,000. (All grosses are estimated three-day takings.) According to Deadline, some 1,100 of the exhibition sector’s 5,900 theaters are running, with drive-ins still doing better business than traditional venues.
When Trolls World Tour and Scoob! were released online during the lockdown, bypassing the theatrical window, executives made the case that audiences currently want the kind of light-hearted entertainment that animated family films provide. Zootopia’s success, however modest, affirms that narrative.
