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Disney’s ‘Zootopia 2’ to hit $1 billion box office, only the second Hollywood film to do so this year

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Disney’s ‘Zootopia 2’ to hit  billion box office, only the second Hollywood film to do so this year


In Disney’s “Zootopia 2,” detectives Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde find themselves on the twisting trail of a mysterious reptile who turns the mammal metropolis of Zootopia upside down.

Disney

The Walt Disney Co. tallied its second billion-dollar film of 2025 with the help of a determined bunny and mischievous fox.

“Zootopia 2” is set to top $1 billion at the global box office on Friday, according to company estimates, joining the live-action remake of “Lilo & Stitch” as the only Hollywood-made films to cross the benchmark this year. Heading into the weekend, the film had tallied $232.7 million domestically and $753.4 million from international markets.

“This milestone means the world to us, because more than anything, it means audiences are coming to theaters for a shared experience of watching this movie on the big screen, everyone together, from all walks of life around the world — and that is a Zootopia dream come true,” Jared Bush, chief creative officer at Walt Disney Animation Studios, wrote in a statement Friday.

The only other film to cross the billion-dollar threshold this year is China’s “Ne Zha 2,” which has collected $2.2 billion since its release in January, according to data from Comscore.

“With the evolution of global market trends in recent years, reaching $1 billion has become a little more of a novelty again,” Shawn Robbins, director of analytics at Fandango and founder of Box Office Theory, told CNBC.

He also noted the importance of the film’s “staggering success in China.” Nearly $450 million of the global haul for “Zootopia 2” has come from the region so far — a massive figure considering China has decreased the number of American films it permits to play in its theaters and has threatened to restrict even more because of escalated tariffs.

“Zootopia 2” had the highest animated opening of all time for a non-local title in China and broke the record for highest-grossing non-local animated film of all time within five days of its release in the country, Disney reported.

The film’s billion-dollar haul also highlights a transition in the domestic theatrical marketplace. PG-rated family films have outperformed PG-13 and R-rated films at the box office in 2025. So far, PG films released this year have generated $2.7 billion in the U.S. and Canada, while PG-13 films have tallied $2.5 billion and R-rated films have collected $2.4 billion.

This shift started in 2024, when PG-rated films sold more tickets domestically than any other rated film for the first time ever. PG-13 films had dominated the space for decades, according to data from Comscore.

“With PG-rated films, it is often the kids who make the decision as to whether to hit the multiplex, and their influence can be seen directly in the numbers for the category that have hit all-time highs over the past couple of years,” said Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Comscore. “Equally impressive is that most PG movie tickets sold are at a child-friendly lower price point and therefore reaching these huge box-office milestones is made even more impressive.”

Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of Fandango and NBCUniversal, which owns CNBC. Versant would become the new parent company of Fandango and CNBC upon Comcast’s planned spinoff of Versant.



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Asda boss rejects profiteering claims as petrol price tops 150p

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Asda boss rejects profiteering claims as petrol price tops 150p



Motorists are facing higher fuel prices ahead of Easter break due to the conflict in the Middle East, the RAC says.



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E-cheques coming soon? RBI unveils Payments Vision 2028, plans wider oversight of digital players – The Times of India

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E-cheques coming soon? RBI unveils Payments Vision 2028, plans wider oversight of digital players – The Times of India


The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday unveiled its ‘Payments Vision 2028’ document, outlining a roadmap that includes exploring electronic cheques, expanding regulatory oversight to digital platforms, and strengthening safeguards in the fast-growing payments ecosystem, PTI reported.The central bank said it will examine the introduction of e-cheques to combine the advantages of paper instruments with the speed and reliability of digital payments. “To leverage the unique benefits of paper-based instruments and the speed and reliability of electronic payments, and cater to new business use cases, the introduction of electronic cheques in India shall be explored,” the RBI said.Alongside, the RBI is considering widening the regulatory ambit to include entities such as e-commerce marketplaces and centralised platforms that play a growing role in facilitating digital transactions.“In addition, e-commerce marketplaces and centralized platforms have been assuming significant responsibilities that could have implications on the orderly functioning of the payments ecosystem. These aspects shall be examined in detail and, if required, the scope of direct regulations shall be extended to cover such entities,” the document said.The vision document also proposes allowing users to enable or disable transactions across digital payment modes, similar to controls available for card transactions.To address fraud risks, the RBI is exploring a “shared responsibility framework” under which both the issuing bank and the beneficiary bank would share liability in cases of unauthorised digital transactions.The central bank also plans to review cheque design and security features, introduce a Domestic Legal Entity Identifier (DLEI) framework for better transaction traceability, and bring in a Cyber Key Risk Indicators (KRI) framework for non-bank payment system operators.Other initiatives include exploring white-label solutions in the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AePS), developing interoperability in the Trade Receivables e-Discounting System (TReDS), and introducing a ‘Payments Switching Service’ to ease customer migration across platforms.The RBI said it will also review the cross-border payments ecosystem to improve efficiency and streamline authorisation processes, alongside publishing periodic reports on global and domestic payment trends.Additionally, the central bank aims to enhance access to payment data and reimagine the card payments ecosystem by promoting secure tokenisation, improved transparency in pricing, and greater choice for users and merchants.



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Hetero rolls out generic semaglutide exports to over 75 countries – The Times of India

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Hetero rolls out generic semaglutide exports to over 75 countries – The Times of India


Hyderabad: Pharma player Hetero on Friday said it has rolled out exports of its generic semaglutide injection portfolio as part of a multi-year plan to widen access to treatments for type 2 diabetes and obesity in more than 75 countries.The Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company said initial rollouts are under way in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, with additional launches planned in other markets subject to regulatory approvals.The injectable therapies will be sold under the brand names Truglyx, Rolmodl and Moto G. Semaglutide belongs to the GLP-1 class of medicines, which are used in diabetes care and weight management.Hetero said the export launch is part of its broader strategy to improve access to advanced cardio-metabolic therapies, particularly in emerging markets.The company said the products will be offered in multi-dose disposable pen devices designed in line with innovator formats and will be available in several strengths, including 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 2 mg, 1.7 mg and 2.4 mg, allowing dosing flexibility for both diabetes and obesity treatment.Hetero said it is also awaiting approval from India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) after completing clinical trials in type 2 diabetes and obesity and plans an India launch after regulatory clearance.Hetero managing director Dr Vamsi Krishna Bandi said the company aims to provide high-quality, affordable generic semaglutide through a single global product platform backed by its manufacturing and development capabilities.He said Hetero would use its commercial networks across Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America to support supply and access. The Hyderabad-headquartered Hetero operates in more than 145 countries and employs over 30,000 people.



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