‘Zootopia’ Scores Again for Disney
Zootopia is becoming one of Disney’s most reliable brands.
We got the latest proof this week from the Nielsen Streaming Ratings.
Photo: Disney
However, we’re tracking an even bigger story here, a debate that’s ongoing.
Yes, Zootopia has scored again for Disney. What does it mean for the bigger picture?
‘Zootopia 2’ Triumphant
On March 19th, MickeyBlog alerted you to Zootopia 2’s latest achievement.
The number one film of 2025 debuted on Disney+ that week, with predictable results.
Photo: Disney
For the first time in a while, Disney revealed streaming data for a major title.
According to Disney, Zootopia 2 drew 32 million viewers during its first week on Disney+.
Photo: Disney
That’s a staggering number, even if we had expected it. I mean, why wouldn’t Zootopia 2 do well?
The film earned $1.87 billion at the box office, making it one of the top ten blockbusters of all time.
Photo: Disney
Currently, Zootopia 2 sits in ninth place, $56 million behind Spider-Man: No Way Home.
I mention this because every film above those two titles has earned at least $2 billion in box office.
Photo: Disney
So, that’s the prestigious landmark Zootopia 2 narrowly missed…for now.
I’m going to let you in on a secret. At various points over the next 20 years, Disney will re-release it.
The sole purpose of these return engagements will be to get Zootopia 2 to $2 billion.
Disney wants to flaunt the popularity of what’s suddenly one of its biggest brands.
‘Zootopia 2’
I touched on this the other day in a discussion ostensibly about Avatar: Fire and Ash.
The James Cameron film appeared to be the bigger 2025 release, yet Zootopia 2 crushed it by $380 million.
Photo: Disney
And that performance grabbed Disney’s attention, at least if we’re to believe Jim Shull.
A Growing Feud?
The former Imagineer claims that Disney is at least toying with the notion of a theme park switch.
Disney has already announced an Avatar-themed land at Disney California Adventure.
Photo: Disney
Shull believes that Disney may swap out Avatar for Zootopia, and he feels strongly that this is the right move.
I’ll link the video to Shull’s argument again in case you missed it the first time.
My wife watched this clip and read my article. Then, she quickly spelled out why Shull is right.
A Zootopia-themed land at Disneyland Resort would sell exponentially more merchandise than Avatar.
In case you don’t believe her, I invite you to perform a little test.
Photo: 20th Century Fox/Disney/Scott Mendelson
Go to the Disney Store and do a quick search for Avatar. On the day I wrote this, the search returned four results.
Now, please perform the same search for Zootopia. Warning: You’ll be scrolling for a while.
NEW Mystery Boxes – Marketplace Co-Op: The Disney Drop Shop
As I type this, the Disney Store lists 96 different merchandise items available for Zootopia.
So, Disney is already acutely aware of which brand is the breadwinner at the Disney Store.
‘Zootopia’ merch
I have to hand it to my wife. That’s a VERY strong argument for why DCA should use Zootopia, not Avatar.
Of course, Disney will need several really good reasons to go back on its word about Avatar.
Photo: Disney
However, the company has changed plans before, and it probably should do so now.
Disney itself has indicated that the Zootopia-themed land at Shanghai Disneyland is a massive hit.
Photo: Disney
According to Disney, one in four guests goes to the park solely for the Zootopia experiences.
That’s another reason why the idea makes sense, and now we have the streaming data, too.
A Big Number
For its part, Nielsen uses its own proprietary tracking system to calculate streaming views.
This process takes a month to publish, which means we’re just now getting the data.
VIP+
Nielsen just revealed that for the week of March 9th through March 15th, Zootopia 2 was dominant.
The movie earned 1.715 billion viewer minutes, which made it the top program on streaming that week.
Photo: Disney
Remarkably, Zootopia 2 didn’t even debut on Disney+ until March 11th.
So, this isn’t even a full week of ratings, just five of a possible seven days.
Photo: Disney
Zootopia 2 was just that impressive in giving Disney its first non-Bluey win in a while.
Historically, few movies perform as well during their second week on streaming.
Photo: Disney
There’s an opening day rush on Disney+, just like at the movie theater.
For this reason, we shouldn’t expect Zootopia 2 to repeat this result next week.
Photo: Disney
However, I rule nothing out for this film, which has overachieved every step of the way.
To a larger point, Zootopia 2’s performance is making Josh D’Amaro’s job easy.
Photo: Disney
He’s currently planning announcements for the 2026 D23 Expo in August.
Based on all the pertinent information, Disney revealing some Zootopia projects seems like a no-brainer.
Photo: Disney
The only question is whether this will happen at Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World.
Hey Disney, based on what I’m seeing, you should create a Zootopia-themed land at both…
Disney’s Other Streaming Hits
Now that we’ve talked enough about Zootopia, here are Disney’s other streaming hits for March 9th through 15th:
- Grey’s Anatomy – 870 million viewer minutes
- Bluey – 760 million viewer minutes
- The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives – 722 million viewer minutes
- Family Guy – 641 million viewer minutes
- The Rookie – 582 million viewer minutes
- Paradise — 546 million viewer minutes
- Survivor – 534 million viewer minutes
- Bob’s Burgers – 519 million viewer minutes
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit – 512 million viewer minutes
- Zootopia – 381 million viewer minutes
Image: Disney Fandom
Those of you who regularly read this article are likely noticing something here.
Disney returned to form this week with 12 of the top 30 streaming programs.
Photo: Hulu
Also, since I know you’re thinking it, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives didn’t get a bump yet.
Those ratings occurred BEFORE the latest controversy. It was the first week of season four.
Photo: Hulu
So, those numbers legitimately may get a lot bigger over the next three weeks.
On the Paradise front, it suffered a slight step back, but it was still a few weeks before the season finale.
Photo: Hulu
I fully expect that one to rise again in two weeks, if not next time.
Finally, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. Zootopia received a sizable bump.
Photo: Disney
Plenty of Disney fans rewatched the original before moving on to the sequel.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering, you CAN watch Survivor episodes on Hulu.
Photo: CBS
These aren’t the new seasons, though. Hulu has the rights to seasons two, 12, 23, and 24.
So, its presence on the Nielsen Streaming Ratings almost assuredly isn’t from Hulu viewing.
