Animation is effectively running the table at Korea's 2025 box office — and Disney's tentpole Zootopia 2 is leading the charge. Given the current trajectory, barring any surprises, Zootopia 2 is poised to finish the year as the biggest theatrical hit in Korea.
According to the Korean Film Council's box office tracking system, Zootopia 2 drew 398,844 moviegoers yesterday (the 14th), pushing its cumulative admissions past 5.37 million. It hit the 5-million mark in just 19 days — a blistering pace that's 20 days faster than this year's previous leader, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Movie: Infinity Castle Arc (5.54 million). At this rate, Zootopia 2 is highly likely to overtake Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Movie: Infinity Castle Arc for the No. 1 spot of 2025 within the week.
Zootopia 2 is the long-awaited sequel arriving nine years after the original 2016 film that drew 4.7 million admissions in Korea. The chase-adventure follows rabbit cop Judy and fox Nick as they pursue the mysterious snake Gary into a new world, capturing both family audiences and adults and building a wide mainstream base. In doing so, it easily surpassed the first film's local record and reaffirmed the franchise's box office muscle.
The heat isn't limited to Korea. On the global charts, Zootopia 2 has topped US$1.1 billion (about KRW 1.6185 trillion), becoming the highest-grossing Hollywood film of the year. It's a clear sign that animation has cemented itself as a core driver of the worldwide theatrical market.
Korean cinema, however, tells a different story. So far, My Daughter Is a Zombie is effectively the only domestic film to surpass 5 million admissions, while the rest have struggled to find a breakout. The annual box office top tier is dominated by fandom-powered animations like Zootopia 2, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Movie: Infinity Castle Arc, and Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, signaling a clear shift in the market.
Animation strength shows up in the daily rankings, too. In second place is Ha Jung-woo's directing-and-starring vehicle The People Upstairs with 53,649 viewers — still far behind the top spot — while third place goes to Pororo the Movie: Sweet Castle Adventure (35,751). With Christmas-season releases winding down, there's currently no obvious challenger to halt Zootopia 2's runaway lead.
All signs point to this year being remembered as 'the year of animation.'