There’s One Animated Movie Record Disney Cannot Break (Not Even With Toy Story 5 Or Frozen 3)

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For almost 90 years, Disney has been known for creating incredible animated films. Starting with the groundbreaking movie Snow White in 1937, Disney has built an enormous collection of beloved animated titles – one of the biggest in Hollywood. These films haven’t just been critically acclaimed, they’ve also been huge box office successes. Whether it’s a classic Disney film or one from Pixar, the company’s animated movies consistently top the charts and break records. For example, Toy Story 4 is the highest-grossing G-rated movie ever in the US, and Inside Out 2 holds the same title for PG-rated films.

Disney is a huge force in the movie industry, but there’s one record they might not be able to break. In 2025, Disney released three films that each earned over $1 billion worldwide, but none of them were the year’s biggest hit. That’s because a sequel to a non-Disney animated movie became incredibly popular, achieving record-breaking success that could last for years.

Ne Zha 2 Was 2025’s Highest-Grossing Movie

One of the most significant box office successes of the last year was Ne Zha 2, a Chinese animated sequel that far exceeded the performance of the original film and joined the exclusive group of movies earning over $2 billion worldwide. The first Ne Zha film earned $726.2 million globally, making the sequel’s success particularly impressive. Ne Zha 2 built on the popularity of the first movie, attracting audiences – especially in China – with its compelling story and beautiful animation. It was the biggest movie of the year in China by a wide margin.

While some recent Hollywood films haven’t performed well in China, the success of Ne Zha 2 shows that Chinese audiences still love going to the movies. Ne Zha 2 earned an incredible $2.244 billion worldwide, with a massive $2.209 billion coming from China alone. This is particularly impressive because no movie in the United States has ever earned $1 billion domestically. Star Wars: The Force Awakens currently holds the U.S. record at $936.6 million, and it may never be broken. Ne Zha 2 managed to earn over $2 billion in just one country.

As a huge movie fan, it’s fascinating to look at how these billion-dollar hits perform around the world. It seems like most of the movies that have broken the $2 billion mark have found success both here and abroad, but some rely more on one market than others. Avatar is the only other film besides the new one to earn over $2 billion internationally, which is amazing! But other big movies, like Avengers: Infinity War, really needed strong ticket sales in the US to hit that $2 billion mark – over $678 million of its total came from domestic theaters. It’s a totally different story with Ne Zha 2, though. It made a tiny amount – only about $23 million, or around 1% of its total earnings – in North America. It really shows how different movies connect with audiences in different parts of the world.

With earnings of over $2.1 billion, Ne Zha 2 isn’t just the highest-grossing animated film ever – it significantly outperforms the second-highest earner, Inside Out 2, which made $1.6 billion. Closing that gap of over $545 million seems nearly impossible, especially considering no Disney animated movie has ever reached $500 million domestically (with Frozen II coming closest at $477.3 million), and only two Pixar films have. Ne Zha 2‘s success is truly exceptional and sets a new record for animated films.

Toy Story 5 and Frozen 3 Are No Match for Ne Zha 2

When considering which Disney movies might compete with the success of Ne Zha 2, none are likely to reach its level. Zootopia 2 had a very strong opening, especially in China, and quickly surpassed $1 billion. However, its earnings are now leveling off. As of today, Zootopia 2 has made $1.592 billion, and recent numbers—$19.3 million for the January 2-4 weekend—indicate it won’t reach $2 billion, let alone the $2.2 billion earned by Ne Zha 2, unless something unexpected happens.

Disney has a few upcoming sequels that might reach $2 billion in box office revenue, but it’s unlikely. One of these is Toy Story 5, coming out this summer. While it’s expected to help Pixar recover after the disappointing performance of Elio, it probably won’t challenge Ne Zha 2’s earnings. The most successful Toy Story movie so far, Toy Story 4 (2019), made $1.073 billion. For Toy Story 5 to even approach Ne Zha 2’s numbers, it would need to significantly exceed that amount—a gap of over $1 billion. Considering the past performance of the Toy Story films, it’s difficult to see how it could achieve that level of success.

Like many successful franchises, a third Frozen movie is expected to be profitable for Disney. However, it’s unlikely to reach the box office success of Ne Zha 2. The first two Frozen films both earned over $1 billion, with Frozen II bringing in $1.45 billion. But Frozen II didn’t even reach $1 billion internationally, and Frozen III would need to surpass that amount by almost $800 million to beat Ne Zha 2’s record. It’s a difficult goal, similar to the challenge Toy Story 5 faces. Many films would be lucky to earn $790 million in total, let alone add that amount to an already substantial $1 billion from previous installments.

While Ne Zha 2 significantly outperformed its first film, giving hope that Toy Story 5 or Frozen III could do the same, it’s unlikely either will reach the same level of success. Both films are expected to earn over $1 billion, similar to Inside Out 2 and Zootopia 2, with strong initial sales. However, reaching $2 billion requires a film to stay popular for an unusually long time, and the current movie market – especially during the summer release of Toy Story 5 – is too competitive. Changing moviegoing habits also play a role in overall box office results. Several factors suggest Disney will struggle to break that $2 billion record, and it’s a milestone they probably won’t achieve.

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2026-01-08 19:15