Reference News Network, December 23 report: According to an article titled "In the Year of the Snake, China is Enchanted by the Poisonous Snake Gary in Zootopia 2" published on the website of The Washington Post on December 21, the following is a compilation of the report:

Can good people come out of a snake's nest? Disney's first reptile lead character, Gary, has won over Chinese movie fans and made Disney rich during the Year of the Snake.

Gary's popularity helped Disney's Zootopia 2 become the highest-grossing imported animated film in Chinese film history, exceeding expectations significantly and rekindling hope for Hollywood to regain box office appeal in its most profitable international market.

Since its release on November 26, this sequel to the 2016 hit film has earned over $540 million in box office revenue in China, almost half of the film's global total. It is the second-highest-grossing film in China, the world's second-largest movie market this year, behind the highly popular Chinese animated film "Ne Zha: The Demon Child Rises."

The success of Zootopia 2 is partly due to the interesting storyline of the film: Officer Bunny Judy and Fox Nick are assigned to investigate a case involving the poisonous snake Gary.

Yin Jianjun (音), a 37-year-old office worker living in Shanghai, said he did not like the film with its "unremarkable" plot, preferring the first one. However, his 8-year-old daughter Youyou (音) gave it a "perfect score of 10," saying her favorite character was Gary. This is a kind-hearted and optimistic snake who was initially marginalized and misunderstood but eventually won everyone's approval.

Jared Bush, the screenwriter and co-director and Chief Creative Officer of Disney, stated on social media and in interviews that the character of Gary was originally designed with Chinese audiences in mind as a tribute to Chinese zodiac culture. According to the lunar calendar, 2025 is the Year of the Snake.

Zootopia 2 currently has a rating of 8.2 out of 10 on the Chinese movie review site Douban, indicating near-unanimous praise for the film.

Additionally, on December 20, NBC News website published an article titled "Disney Hopes 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' Rekindles Chinese Audiences' Passion for Hollywood Movies," the following is a compilation of the report:

Disney recently achieved a rare success in China with Zootopia 2. Now, the company hopes that Avatar: Fire and Ash, which was released on the 19th, will achieve another box office success in the Chinese market. Other Hollywood film companies are closely watching whether Disney can successfully attract Chinese "Avatar" fans back to the cinema.

Between 2020 and 2023, the COVID-19 pandemic and strikes by Hollywood actors and screenwriters caused a slowdown in U.S. film production, reducing the number of potential big films that U.S. film companies could provide to China.

The highest-grossing film in China this year was "Ne Zha: The Demon Child Rises," with box office revenue exceeding $2 billion, breaking the Chinese box office record. The film has now surpassed Pixar's "Inside Out 2" to become the highest-grossing animated film worldwide, with nearly all of its box office revenue coming from China, demonstrating China's tremendous market power.

Avatar: Fire and Ash is expected to achieve a global opening weekend box office of $340 million to $380 million. If it continues the momentum of previous Avatar films, its final box office could reach the $2 billion threshold of its predecessor.

After the success of Zootopia 2, Disney has more reason to remain optimistic. Since its release in November, Zootopia 2 has earned over $500 million in box office revenue in China.

At the time of Zootopia 2's box office success, Meng Danqing, CEO of IMAX China, said he believes Hollywood film companies can regain part of the huge Chinese movie market. However, if they want to compete, they must make some changes.

(Translation/ Wang Diqing)

On December 8, the Chinese premiere of Avatar 3 was held in Sanya, Hainan, with director James Cameron attending the event. (Xinhua News Agency)

Original: toutiao.com/article/7586882951024067081/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author."