Buoyed by excellent reviews and an “A” CinemaScore rating, Zootopia edged out Frozen to become the animation studio’s biggest three-day debut ever, though that’s definitely not counting a whole slew of releases from sister company Pixar. The film’s $73.7 million bow also secured it a bunch of other somewhat arbitrary records. (Best debut for an animated movie in March! Ninth largest animated opening ever! Best, uh, first-weekend showing for a Jason Bateman vehicle!) But there’s no denying that, after a few years of low-impact efforts (we’re looking at you, Bolt), Disney seems to have entered another renaissance period. And that, again, is without taking Pixar into account.
In a futile attempt to stave off Mickey’s multiplex monopoly, a few other studios also released movies this weekend, with less-than-notable results. London Has Fallen, latest recipient of the rare and elusive A.V. Club F grade, made $21.7 million—a good chunk less than its predecessor, possibly because it’s a good deal worse than its predecessor. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, meanwhile, landed a notch below expectations with $7.6 million, while Fox dumped The Other Side Of The Door into only 546 theaters, predictably resulting in a dismal $1.2 million opening. Not that the studio had much occasion to care: Deadpool, their successful experiment in R-rated superhero franchise building, continues to do strong business; landing at number three on the charts with an additional $16.4 million, the comic-book origin story is now the third-highest-grossing R-rated movie ever. Disney, in other words, has no monopoly on arbitrary box-office records.
For more detailed numbers, visit Box Office Mojo.
