Happy Monday, y’all 👋. I hope you’re easing into the week with a bit of clarity about where the attention economy is moving.

The focus of today’s deep dive is the breakout performance of Zootopia 2 and what its record setting opening signals for studios, distributors, and the broader theatrical ecosystem.

It is a moment that shows how quickly market confidence can return when a franchise proves it can still mobilize global audiences.

Let’s get into it.

Driving the news: Zootopia 2 opened to 556 million dollars worldwide, including 156 million dollars domestically, across the Thanksgiving window. The film set a new record for the biggest animated opening in China with more than 270 million dollars, driving nearly half of global revenue. As reported by Rebecca Rubin for Variety, the sequel now ranks among the largest global debuts for an animated release, propelled by pent up family demand and strategic holiday timing. Link

The stakes: The film’s performance strengthens the case that theatrical releases remain commercially viable for the right kind of IP. For studios, it shows that investing in legacy animated franchises still delivers outsized returns relative to new original titles. For exhibitors, it provides important relief after inconsistent attendance cycles and demonstrates that holiday windows remain powerful when paired with broad four quadrant appeal. Success at this scale also influences future release calendars, budget allocations, and marketing tactics for global rollouts.

The friction: Even with the strong start, persistent industry pressures remain. Production and marketing costs continue to rise while audience attention is fragmented across streaming and short form platforms. Heavy reliance on international markets introduces geopolitical risk and cultural variability. Studios need sustained momentum, not only a record opening, to secure long term profitability for sequels. Theaters also face challenges in maintaining foot traffic beyond eventized releases. These contradictions create tension between high expectations for franchise performance and the realities of a volatile distribution landscape.

What this unlocks: The success of Zootopia 2 will accelerate the push toward more sequel driven development pipelines. Expect an increase in greenlit animated projects tied to existing brands, deeper integration with consumer products, and expanded cross platform extensions. The film’s global resonance gives marketers new leverage to pursue worldwide campaigns tied to seasonal moments. For exhibitors, the outcome reinforces the value of strategic windowing and may influence negotiations around release exclusivity and promotional partnerships.

The bigger picture: The dynamics surrounding Zootopia 2 reflect a broader transition as the entertainment industry seeks stability after years of uncertainty. Theatrical releases that combine recognizable IP with broad family appeal continue to act as cultural anchors in an era defined by algorithmic distribution and fragmented consumption. The film’s opening weekend suggests that audiences still value the communal experience when the content is positioned correctly. It signals that the path forward will reward studios and platforms that balance franchise longevity with global audience insight.

For everything else, see below 👇:

AI

1. Influencers Are Getting Automated. It’s the Beginning of the End of the Creator Economy as We Know It — (S.A. Aplin for Fast Company) — Link

2. OpenAI’s Thrive Deal Shows How AI’s Power Brokers Are Repositioning — (Michael J. de la Merced for The New York Times) — Link

3. People Are Outsourcing Their Thinking to AI — (Lila Shroff for The Atlantic) — Link

4. Influencers Are Going Anti-AI to Fight Deepfakes and Protect Fandom Economies — (Kat Tenbarge for The Verge) — Link

Advertising

5. Omnicom and IPG: The Deal Reshaping Madison Avenue, by the Numbers — (Brittaney Kiefer for Adweek) — Link

6. European Markets Brace as Advertising Giants Merge After Omnicom–IPG Deal — (Financial Times) — Link

Retail

7. Gen Z Shoppers Aren’t Spending Like Retailers Need Them To — (Jennifer Williams for The Wall Street Journal) — Link

8. Teen Retailers Win Over Black Friday In-Store Shoppers — (Jaewon Kang for Bloomberg) — Link

Culture

9. Get Ready, America: Here Come China’s Food and Drink Chains — (Daisuke Wakabayashi, Joy Dong and Ava Pellor for The New York Times) — Link

10. How AI’s Hit to Publisher Traffic Is Quietly Rewiring Media M&A — (By Sara Guaglione for Digiday) — Link

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