“Zootopia,” Disney’s recently released animation movie, turned out to be the fourth-biggest March opening ever. It debuted to $73.7 million over the weekend. Zootopia is an animated story of a rabbit that joins the police force. The trailer was appreciated by many people, and after the release, it turned out to be the biggest Disney animation launch. The movie also benefitted from the fact that no other family film is releasing until “The Jungle Book” on April 15. Thus, families and children are giving all their attention to Zootopia. Disney’s distribution chief, Dave Hollis, also agreed and said, “There’s an absence of competition. We are set up to have a big, big run.”
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The movie has earned $63.4 million via its overseas run that has been continuing for three weeks before the U.S. release. The movie earned a total of $232.5 million globally. The movie adds another feather to Disney’s cap, as they have released recent hits like “Frozen,” “Tangled,” and others. Disney has also won Academy Awards for some of its movies, reaching new heights in terms of commercial success.
“They brought a focus on quality. They recognize that quality is the best business plan,” said Hollis. Other movies did not fair that well at the box office, though Gerard Butler found some relief in “London Has Fallen,” the sequel to “Olympus Has Fallen.” It opened solidly to $21.5 million from 3,490 locations for a second place finish. “We’re really pleased with the opening, and we think we’re going to leg out well from here. That older demographic doesn’t necessarily rush out on opening weekend,” said Jim Orr, Focus’s distribution chief.
Tina Fey’s “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” stumbled with a $7.6 million launch from 2,374 venues. The movie was a drama-comedy about a war reporter who gets hooked on the adrenaline rush of covering Afghanistan. Paramount’s Rob Moore said he is hoping that the movie will eventually grow on audiences. “We were hoping for more. But Tina’s last movie played to a good multiple, and we had a good Saturday, so we have a chance of playing for a little while to a reasonable outcome,” said Moore. “Deadpool” has finally crossed the $300 million mark after four weeks. The $140 million action epic “Gods of Egypt” rounded out the top five, as it earned only $5 million.
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“Spotlight,” on the other hand, shone due to the recent Oscar love. The movie earned an additional $1.8 million and has grossly netted $41.6 million during its theatrical run. The scandalous story gained pace after winning big at the Academy Awards. “Knight of Cubs,” Terrence Malick’s lyrical portrait of the spiritual journey of a writer played by Christian Bale, was released in four theaters, and it earned $56,688 for a $14,172 per-screen average. March, which is generally seen as the dumping ground for movies, saw some major successes like “The Hunger Games,” “Alice in Wonderland,” “Cinderella,” and now “Zootopia.” This has changed a lot of theories. “This proves March is now a blockbuster month. You can open a blockbuster any time of the year,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at comScore.
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