The Disney animation sets an impressive record on its first weekend. With $73.7 million scored in the United States and $232.5 worldwide, Zootopia is the most successful movie made by the house of the mouse.

Since Disney bought Pixar Animations, they have been releasing hit after hit; Big Hero 6 scoring $56 million  the first three days, Wreck-It-Ralph and Tangled with $50 million each and the unforgettable “Frozen” which didn’t collect a lot at first, but after a wide release, it collected $67.4 million the first week. Zootopia also ended the reign of Deadpool at the box office scoring a big win for Disney Animations.

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With praise from the critics and the amazing receiving by the public, the film has no competitors in its category until April 15 when The Jungle Book hits the theaters. Credit: Disney

Disney distribution chief, Dave Hollis, pins the success of their movies to the work of John Lasseter and Ed Catmull. Their work on Pixar Animations was remarkable and their standards have but elevated after the purchase.

“John and Ed have installed a culture of high-quality, filmmaker-driven movies,” said Hollis.

The quality of a movie is very important. Everything from the direction to the visuals is evaluated, but many think that publicity is behind every box office success. Deadpool had a very unusual marketing strategy; the posters, the tweets and even the date of the screening were brilliantly planned. The same happens to Zootopia.

The movie is set in a world inhabited by anthropomorphic animals. A rookie bunny police officer and a fugitive fox are the main characters of the film. There is a famous clip in which they enter a public transit office to follow a lead. But what the officer didn’t know is that all the members of the staff are sloths. The scene in which she asks one of the sloths for information has originated thousands of memes becoming a sensation in the internet community.

These numbers are taken from the United States. Even though animation has fared very good overseas, the screening of IP man 3 leads the charts in China with $75 million. Overall, 2016 poses as a magic year for movie lovers with awaited films like Batman Vs Superman and Civil war, and pleasant surprises such as Zootopia.

Source: Hollywood Reporter