BURBANK, California: A blockbuster sequel has given Walt Disney Animation Studios a rare win at the global box office. The studio said that Zootopia 2 has surpassed Frozen 2 to become its highest-grossing animated release of all time.

The film has taken in about US$1.46 billion worldwide, making it the fifth Disney Animation title to cross the $1 billion mark. Its performance was boosted by a strong U.S. Thanksgiving weekend debut that helped kick off Hollywood's crucial holiday movie season.

A major driver of the sequel's success has been its extraordinary reception in China. "Zootopia 2" has grossed more than $560 million in the country, where it dominated its opening weekend and accounted for roughly 95 percent of all movie ticket sales.

Globally, the film launched the holiday period with an estimated $556 million in opening-weekend ticket sales. The sequel reunites rabbit police officer Judy Hopps and her fox partner Nick Wilde as they return to the sprawling animal metropolis for a new adventure.

The record-breaking run comes at a time when worldwide box office takings are still trailing pre-pandemic 2019 levels. Against that backdrop, the sequel's performance has been a welcome bright spot for Disney and for cinema operators counting on packed theaters during the second-busiest moviegoing season of the year.