Zootopia 2 opened to a massive $271,724,258 in China alone. That single number wipes out the excuse that China simply is not showing up for Hollywood anymore. Clearly, the audience is still there.
They show up for movies they like, for franchises that connect, and for stories that feel universal.
Snyder’s DC Always Connected in China
As we have been told that the SnyderVerse is back in play, worth pointing out again is that Snyder’s DC films consistently drew strong numbers in China. I went over it in the previous article how the talk of restoring the SnyderVerse has reawakened the dragon. Zootopia 2 proves it.
Snyder’s Man of Steel earned $63.44 million. Batman v Superman earned $95.77 million. Justice League, even the theatrical cut, cleared $106.05 million.
Asia has always been one of the strongest bases of support for Snyder’s work.
James Gunn’s Superman? A paltry $8.9M.
Why Foreign Fans Rejected Gunn’s Superman
As I’ve previously went over, talking with foreign fans, the reactions are very consistent. They all feel mocked by Gunn’s Superman movie. The Kaiju rooftop scene, where Superman leaves an Asian woman stranded, came across as tone deaf. The subplot with fictional nations fighting felt tied to American political messaging that does not translate overseas. The tone did not feel mythic or universal. It felt domestic and limited. And goofy.
Global audiences want stories that rise above national politics. Snyder always delivered that. Gunn did not.
Asia Has Always Supported the SnyderVerse
My insider put it plainly. Asia has been rabid for the SnyderVerse since the beginning.
A Chinese fan started the “Release the Snyder Cut” movement. Korean zombie hits like Train to Busan took clear cues from Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead. Modern Indian fantasy films have Snyder’s visual language all over them. The DC Café in Singapore was built around the Snyder DCEU. In the Philippines, theaters still keep SnyderVerse statues on display years later. Even modern K-Pop Demon Hunter heroines carry a bit of the Sucker Punch aesthetic (showed a badass group of females in a rock ‘n’ roll aesthetic), mixed with the vibe of older Asian action films like Michelle Yeoh’s Heroic Trio.
This is not a casual audience. Snyder’s work became part of the culture in several countries across the region.
Snyder Told a Universal Story
Many foreign fans point out another big difference. Man of Steel plays as a positive immigrant story. Clark is the outsider who becomes a source of hope. That message works everywhere.
Gunn’s version sent the opposite impression. The changes to Jor-El made the story feel like outsiders are dangerous or corrupt. That tone did not sit well overseas. The theme will continue in Supergirl.
This contrast is the same reason Zootopia 2 works. It tells a clean, universal story without political baggage, and audiences across China responded instantly.
Snyder’s Approach Still Works Worldwide
Zootopia 2 proves the audience never left. Hollywood did not lose China. The idea that China will not support Western movies anymore is simply wrong. China supports movies that connect with them.
That is exactly what happened with Snyder’s DC films. He presented Superman and Batman as mythic, iconic figures. That type of storytelling travels anywhere, and China proved it for years.
The renewed surge in Snyder interest from China right now only reinforces the point. The audience did not leave the SnyderVerse. The studio walked away from it.
