Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Zootopia opened in North America this weekend along with China, Russia and Germany with $73.7 million domestic and $63.4 million international (its fourth weekend of overseas release) for an impressive $137 million global weekend and a total global sum of $232.5 million. The North American opening was the largest three-day opening for Walt Disney Animation Studios ever, beating the $67.4 million posted by Frozen, and the fourth-largest March opening weekend in industry history. The film, featuring the voices of Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, J.K. Simmons, Idris Elba, Alan Tudyk, Tommy Chong, Octavia Spencer, Bonnie Hunt, Jenny Slate, Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister, Don Lake and Raymond Persi, received an A CinemaScore from audiences.
The estimated $19.5 million Friday is the largest opening day gross ever for Walt Disney Animation Studios (topping Big Hero 6‘s $15.8 million), and the estimated $31.8 million Saturday is the largest single-day gross ever for Walt Disney Animation Studios (topping Frozen‘s $26.8 million second Friday).
Globally, IMAX screens for Zootopia grossed $8.5 million for the weekend. In North America, 366 IMAX screens grossed $5.2 million, becoming IMAX’s second-best animated opening ever at the domestic box office (second to Disney•Pixar’s Toy Story 3, which opened to $8.4 million during summer playtime). Internationally, Zootopia earned $3.3 million on 355 screens, with $3 million of that total coming from 278 Chinese IMAX screens.
Gramercy Pictures‘ London Has Fallen opened in second place at the domestic box office with an estimated $21.7 million from 3,490 theaters, an average of $6,222 per theater. The debut came in behind the $30.4 million opening of Olympus Has Fallen in 2013. The sequel, which was made for about $60 million and received an A- CinemaScore, stars Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart and Morgan Freeman.
Third place belonged to 20th Century Fox’s Deadpool, which added $16.4 million in the third spot and has now earned $311.2 million domestically. Made for just $58 million, the comic book adaptation has now reached $361.8 million overseas for a worldwide total of $673 million! Deadpool stars Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller, Gina Carano, Ed Skrein and Brianna Hildebrand.
Coming in at No. 4 was Paramount Pictures’ Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, starring Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman, Alfred Molina and Billy Bob Thornton. The $35 million-budgeted film opened to $7.6 million from 2,374 theaters, an average of $3,201. The dramedy received a B CinemaScore from audiences.
Rounding out the top five was Lionsgate’s Gods of Egypt, which earned $5 million its second weekend for a total of $22.8 million so far. The film, also starring Gerard Butler along with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Brenton Thwaites, Chadwick Boseman, Elodie Yung, Courtney Eaton and Geoffrey Rush, cost a hefty $140 million to make.
In more box office news, 20th Century Fox’s The Other Side of the Door debuted with $1.2 million from 546 theaters, Kung Fu Panda 3 is now starting its international roll out and has reached $324 million globally, and Terrence Malick’s Knight of Cups opened to $56,688 from four theaters.
