How 'Zootopia' ran a marathon at the box office

Coming into 2016, it was a no brainer that“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”would be one of the year’s highest-grossing films.

Meanwhile,“Zootopia,”an original Walt Disney animated film with new characters, was seen by many as risky — especially coming on the heels of the company’s Pixar studio having its first relative dud with November’s “The Good Dinosaur,” also an original piece.

Turns out that the Warner Bros. superhero mashup, while notching the seventh-biggest opening weekend with $166 million, likely won’t outsell talking animals in North America — a scenario no one saw coming before the films were released in March.

A movie which put together two of comics’ most legendary figures had the tongues of fanboys and many others wagging for several years. But while the curiosity factor was there at the get-go, heavy repeat business and good word of mouth didn’t materialize, not allowing “Batman v Superman,” which opened March 25, to sustain its big opening.

Contrast that with “Zootopia.” Gaining prime exposure from having a trailer attached to another Disney offering, a little holiday release called “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” it hit theaters in North America three weeks before “Batman v Superman” and opened at $75 million,Walt Disney Animation’s best-ever start.

But perhaps folks shouldn’t have been surprised at the early strength because Walt Disney Animation had been enjoying a strong run with its three prior releases: “Big Hero 6,” “Wreck-It Ralph” and “Frozen,” which became a global pop culture phenomenon.

By the time “Batman v Superman” arrived, “Zootopia’s” North America gross was $217.4 million. It was a strong start, but one which “Batman v Superman” would blow past, the thinking went. But people kept going to see “Zootopia.”

For a wide-release movie with a big opening, “Zootopia” has posted some fantastic holds. In just one of the eight weekends since its debut has the movie notched a weekend-over-weekend ticket-sales decline of more than 35%. That comes at a time when 50% drops among the big boys are pretty typical early in a movie’s run. (For instance, even the leggy surprise hit “Deadpool” suffered a 57% drop in its second weekend, while “Batman v Superman” declined 69%.)

“Zootopia” had a 17-day head start on “Batman v Superman,” but the superhero epic caught up to the animated film by April 10. On April 21, “Batman v Superman” was ahead by $4.2 million.

But for each of the next 10 days, “Zootopia” outrgrossed “Batman v Superman” despite being in hundreds of fewer theaters and having heavy youngster-eyeball competition from fellow Disney blockbuster “The Jungle Book,” which has shown stout legs of its own. “Zootopia” outgrossed “Batman v Superman’” even during weekdays last week despite the school-age crowd by and large having early bedtimes and homework.

The streak came to a end Monday, when “Zootopia” trailed by $2,774. It’s just $1.45 million behind “Batman v Superman” at $324.1 million and as soon as this weekend, it will likely get back in front of the comic heroes, when“Captain America: Civil War,”another Disney-owned property, vacuums up the fanboy crowd. That movie is widely expected to open bigger than “Batman v Superman” in North America this coming weekend and has already grossed $225 million internationally since opening in nearly 40 markets last week.

The Marvel comics movie is also expected to hold up better than its DC rival domestically.

“Zootopia” has raked in $933 million world-wide, making it the biggest film of 2016 so far, and “The Jungle Book,” already at $714.5 million, is racing up the charts, as well. By Memorial Day, Disney could have the year’s three biggest films — with all of them near or exceeding global grosses of $1 billion. Just 24 movies have hit that benchmark, including 2010′s “Alice in Wonderland.” Its sequel, also from Disney, bows later this month.

(THE WALL STREET JOURNAL)