6TH WRITETHRU, Monday PM: We knew by Friday night that Zootopia was headed to a record opening for a Disney non-Pixar toon with $70M, but when all was done and finished, the film landed at $75.1M. Thanks to Zootopia, 2016 clicked past the $2B mark at the domestic B.O, pacing 9.5% ahead of the same frame in 2015. The Disney toon also boosted weekend tickets sales to $162.7M, +82% versus the same FSS a year ago. Zootopia‘s weekend also ranked as the fourth highest March debut.

While Zootopia beat Frozen‘s $67.4M wide opening out of the gate, whether it beats that film’s $400.7M is another question. Non-Disney distrib chiefs don’t think it can, despite having a mass and critical groundswell of 99% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Some have it with a final B.O. in the high $200M range. Frozen was a true fangirl movie that benefited from year-end holiday traffic, and Zootopia is playing to staggered spring break schedules. Also that jump from Zootopia‘s A to Frozen‘s A+ can makes a difference in regards to a pic’s multiples off its opening (3.6x to 4.8x). Even though it’s the only family film out there until April 15 when Disney’s Jungle Book comes along, there’s plenty in Zootopia‘s way, specifically The Divergent Series: Allegiant and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Disney plans to capitalize off of rolling spring breaks which swell from 5% K-12 off today to 9% on Friday and then 16% next Monday. As such, the studio will be adjusting its social marketing and TV spots towards kids on break. Look for Zootopia to hang on to the top spot at the box office this weekend with $37.5M-$40M, putting Paramount’s monster sequel 10 Cloverfield Lane in second with $24M.

Throughout the weekend, Zootopia played strongly from its matinees through its 9PM shows. Business was great from cities to small towns.

On Sunday, Disney distribution chief Dave Hollis reflected on the boom times for original Disney animated fare in recent years as Zootopia joins a growing list of hits that includes Frozen ($400.7M domestic), Big Hero 6 ($222.5M) Tangled ($200.8M) and Wreck-It Ralph ($187.4M).

“When you make something this fantastic from a quality perspective that builds on an original story in an original world, that connects and is relatable to audiences and puts up these types of numbers – this momentum comes from the Walt Disney Studio team. The animation team is in a space right now where they are consistently delivering high quality storytelling. The studio is being led and driven by storytellers,” exclaimed Hollis.

In second place, Gerard Butler is having a better time this weekend than last as Gramercy/Focus Features’ London Has Fallen is looking at an opening weekend of $21.6M, and an A- CinemaScore. That’s the same grade that the previous installment, Olympus Has Fallen, received three years ago. Olympus Has Fallen opened a week before Easter in 2013 and played to a 3.2 multiple up to $98M. Of course, the reason London isn’t playing a week before Easter this year is to give it legs; otherwise, it would butt up against Warner Bros.’ Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. “There’s a nice runway as far as competition is concerned,” said Focus Features distribution chief Jim Orr. “It gave us another four weeks. Also, March proved to be particularly lucrative for Olympus.” It’s safe to say given the strong exit polls among older adults, London could do a similar gross factor. That demo comes out to the cinema gradually, rather than crowding a title’s opening weekend.

Butler’s other title on the marquee, Gods Of Egypt, is down 63% in its second weekend with $5.2M in fifth place and a 10-day cume of $23M. Many sources still scratch their heads as to why the title was dated a week before London Has Fallen, but as we explained last week, Lionsgate was making a grab at about 50% of Imax’s supply in an effort to boost weekend grosses. It’s never a good thing when a major star like Butler has two back-to-back wide releases in the marketplace. Leonardo DiCaprio was in this situation back in December 2002 with Gangs of New York ($77.8M) and Catch Me If You Can ($164.6M domestic). Granted both were making a go at awards, but the Steven Spielberg pic outperformed the Martin Scorsese title by 112%.

Elsewhere this weekend, Paramount’s Tina Fey political dramedy Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is filing fourth with $7.4M opening in fourth, well below the $10M-$12M range the industry projected. CinemaScore folks gave it a B.

Per its marketing materials, Zootopia might look like some sort of Madagascar or Richard Scarry knock-off. Similar to a Pixar title, Zootopia talks up to adults with plenty of takeaways for everyone in this socially conscious title. Zootopia follows a rookie rabbit cop who teams with a con-artist fox as they crack a case in a world where big animals rule and tiny ones are inferior. At a time when leading Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump builds on inflammatory rhetoric and counts a groundswell of bigoted hate group supporters, along comes a Disney movie that promotes equality and battles fear-based sentiment. As it takes several years to make an animated feature, I’m told the socio-political themes in Zootopia weren’t last minute add-ons riffing off the current election atmosphere. The film’s themes would have resonated even outside an election cycle. Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers hits the nail on the head: “This animated crime caper comes ready to party hard, but also takes a deep dive when necessary, especially when certain species are treated as threats and cause public panic. Listen up, Mr. Trump.” CinemaScore showed Zootopia being female heavy at 58% with the under 25 set repping 56%. Under 18 turned up at 42%. All three of those demos gave Zootopia an A+.

Zootopia‘s $5.2M Imax weekend is the second best for the large format exhibitor after Toy Story 3‘s $8.4M.

Disney dropped the teaser for Zootopia back in early June and trailered the title on its summer hit Inside Out as well as Star Wars: The Force Awakens and DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda 3. The Sloth trailer in particular on SWTFA had the biggest increase in search volume of all films (+281%). Social volume for the trailer spiked by 117% and sentiment was overwhelmingly positive at 70%. At D23 in August, Disney announced that Shakira was providing a voiceover and recording the song “Try Everything.” A huge hit with the media was Zootopia‘s satirical creative marketing with one sheets of Cinderelephant, Star Wars: The Furce Awakens, Girrafic World, Straight Otter Zootopia; as well as the hilarious Oscar campaign digital content including Gazelle on the red carpet, Lion “Oscar” statue, as well as posters for Bridge of Sloths, Mad Yax: Furry Road, and The Hibernant. Disney partnered with top zoos across the country on over 35 onsite activations, including VIP screenings, social posts and email blasts. And of course, there was synergy through the Disney conglom on ABC, ESPN, the cruise ships, Disney radio and theme parks.

On social per RelishMix, #Zootopia hashtags across Twitter and Instagram combined were strong for a family film totaling 14.4K, followed by #LondonFallen with 4.5K per day combined and #WTFtheMovie with 1.6K.

Gramercy/Focus Features is handling London Has Fallen for a fee, and the label is covering P&A for the Millennium $60M-financed title. That production cost is $10M cheaper than Olympus’ price tag. As we indicated last weekend, Butler has been drumming up support for London on social, casting a shadow over any word of mouth for Gods of Egypt. Butler served as the 2016 Grand Marshall for the Daytona 500 and was the honorary celebrity guest of the WWE Raw Monday night show in Anaheim, CA. There were advance screenings at 19 U.S. military bases in the U.S. and Kuwait. Butler, Aaron Eckhart and Angela Bassett visted troops at three of these U.S. bases. Another marketing highlight was a WAZE integration featuring Morgan Freeman’s voice (in character as Vice President Trumbull). In terms of audience make-up, London Has Fallen looks quite similar to Olympus with older males at 55% guys, 74% over 25. Butler fans showed up at 33%.

Political comedies are tough sells at the box office and that’s essentially what’s challenging Paramount’s Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Following in the wake of October’s Chilean presidential campaign comedy Our Brand Is Crisis which cost Participant and Warner Bros. $28M-$30M before P&A and opened to $3.2M and finaled at $7M, WTF just further underscores the uphill battle for these types of movies on the big screen. In fact, CinemaScore showed that the same older women who bought tickets for WTF also spent money on Our Brand Is Crisis. In both cases, the lead actress was the chief draw with Fey attracting 69% and Brand‘s Sandra Bullock pulling in 76%. Older women over 25 was 56%/89% for WTF, while the ratio for Our Brand Is Crisis was 56%/96%.

Not that it didn’t deserve a spot in theaters, but it would have been a better trek for WTF had it played on HBO or Netflix. Given its message, it would have found prestige on those outlets and potentially resonated with a bigger audience, rather than getting buried at the B.O.

In a marketplace where Zootopia is the family destination and London Has Fallen is the testosterone choice, Paramount was looking to provide something for women with WTF. As we described earlier, Focus Features used this tactic for the Fey-Paul Rudd adult romantic comedy Admission back in late March 2013 when it went up against Olympus. That movie flatlined with a $6.1M FSS and a final cume of $18M. Note that WTF isn’t ha-ha funny like Fey’s mass-appealing titles Sisters ($87M) and Date Night ($98.7M). Rather it’s an adaptation of Afghan war journalist Kim Barker’s tome Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which follows her journey to change up her mid-life TV journo career as she embarks on a 2002 tour of war-torn Kabul.

WTF feels like a movie that Miramax would release in its ’90s/’00s heyday. It speaks volumes that a major studio like Paramount would roll $35M on a semi-modern day Catch 22. TV spots, which iSpot estimates at $11.3M, sold this like a Fey comedy, and you can’t fault the studio for doing that. If they sold the somber side of this film, no one would show up. The only way to get the 30 Rock fans in the door is to bait them with Fey antics (peeing in the bushes, firing a machine gun). WTF isn’t as satirical as 1972’s MASH and it’s not as cutthroat high-stakes as Zero Dark Thirty, but it’s somewhere in between, and that middle ground is what’s keeping critics at a 63% Rotten Tomatoes score. Some reviewers, including Deadline’s Pete Hammond, have praised Fey for taking her acting chops to another level. But this is certainly a case where more good reviews could aid the B.O. battle. Paramount made sure WTF grabbed some national headlines with a D.C. screening hosted by MPAA chief Senator Chris Dodd and Viacom EVP Global Government Affairs Dede Lea, with special guest Vice President Joe Biden.

Would it have been better if Paramount platformed WTF? That’s the approach for their Richard Linklater title Everybody Wants Some which is opening on April 1 and getting a launch at SXSW. But that’s a different animal from WTF. It’s always a tricky decision for a studio to platform a star-driven title. Par had the benefit of Fey’s PR machine, and thus the wide amount of bookings. From that vantage point, it made sense to go wide. The Linklater film has a fresh-faced cast, and the director is a household name among arthouse denizens.

Deadpool through four weekends stands at $311.5M after a $16.7M weekend, off 46%. To date, it’s the third highest R-Rated movie at the domestic B.O. behind The Passion of the Christ ($370.8M) and American Sniper ($350.1M).

Fox’s best director & actor Oscar winner The Revenant shed 157 theaters down to 1,488, but it’s doing better than Open Road’s best picture winner Spotlight which raised its theater count past 1,200, $3.4M to $1.76M. Spotlight‘s FSS isn’t that far from Birdman’s post Oscar win weekend ($1.9M) a year ago. Spotlight counts $41.6M, which is 3% ahead of Birdman‘s stateside tally following the Oscars. That film finaled at $42.3M at the domestic B.O. Spotlight, like Birdman at this time, is also on DVD/VOD.

Broad Green’s Terrence Malick title Knight of Cups about a Hollywood writer and his romances with six women crashed at four Los Angeles and New York theaters with $61K or $15K a theater. The film carried mixed reviews, which is never good for a Malick title, hence the reason why its ticket sales aren’t through the roof. P&A was adjusted accordingly because of this. There was no way the film was going to mint $35K per hub. Knight of Cups will expand next weekend. For comparison purposes: Malick’s The Tree of Life, hot off its Palme d’Or win hit theaters during Memorial Day weekend 2011 and made $93K at four sites or $373K, while New Line’s The New World opened during Christmas weekend 2005 and made $10K a theater at three playdates.

The top 20 films and notables per ComScore for the weekend of March 4-6:

1). Zootopia (DIS), 3,827 theaters/3-day cume: $75.1M/ Per screen avg: $19,614 /Wk 1

2). London Has Fallen (FOC), 3,490 theaters/3-day cume: $21.6M / Per screen: $6,199 / Wk 1

3). Deadpool (FOX), 3,624 theaters (-232)/ 3-day cume: $16.7M (-46%) / Per screen: $4,615 / Total Cume: $311.5M / Wk 4

4). Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (PAR), 2,374 theaters/ 3-day cume: $7.4M/ Per screen: $3,135 / Wk 1

5). Gods of Egypt (LG), 3,117 theaters (0)/3-day cume: $5.2M (-63%) / Per screen: $1,668 / Total cume: $23M/ Wk 1

6). Risen (SONY), 2,507 theaters (-408) / 3-day cume: $3.9M (-43%) / Per screen: $1,558 / Total cume: $28.7M / Wk 3

7). Kung Fu Panda 3 (DWA/FOX), 2,700 theaters (-596) / 3-day cume: $3.57M (-60%) / Per screen: $1,323 / Total cume: $133.9M / Wk 6

8). The Revenant (FOX), 1,488 theaters (-157) / 3-day cume: $3.4M (-14%) / Per screen: $2,287 / Total cume: $176.1M / Wk 11

9). Eddie the Eagle (Fox), 2,044 theaters (+2) / 3-day cume: $3.1M (-49%)/ Per screen: $1,531 / Total cume: $10.9M/ Wk 2

10). The Witch (A24), 1,715 theaters (-489) / 3-day cume: $2.5M (-51%) / Per screen: $1,449 / Total cume: $20.9M / Wk 3

11). Triple 9 (OR), 2,205 theaters (0)/3-day cume: $2.3M (-63%)/ Per screen: $1,027 /Total cume: $10.4M/ Wk 2

12). How To Be Single (WB/MGM/New Line), 1,602 theaters (-1,445) /3-day cume: $2.1M (-58%)/ Per screen: $1,322 / Total: $43.3M/ Wk 4

13). Star Wars: The Force Awakens (DIS), 1,021 theaters (-412) /3-day cume: $1.9M (-38%)/ Per screen: $1,826/ Total cume: $928.8M / Wk 12

14). MET Opera: Manon Lescaut (FAN), 900 theaters/ 3-day cume: $1.77M/ Per screen: $1,967 / Wk 1

15). Spotlight (OR), 1,227 theaters (+542) / 3-day cume: $1.76M (+140%) / Per screen: $1,439 / Total cume: $41.6M / Wk 18

16). Race (FOC), 1,286 theaters (-1,101)/3-day cume: $1.5M (-63%)/ Per screen: $1,175 / Total cume: $16.5M / Wk 3

17). The Other Side of the Door (FOX), 546 theaters /3-day cume: $1.2M/ Per screen: $2,218 /Wk 1

18). The Lady In The Van (SPC), 429 theaters (+173) / 3-day cume: $717K (-39%) /Per screen: $1,672 / Total cume: $7.1M/ Wk 8

19). Ride Along 2 (UNI), 607 theaters (-334) /3-day cume: $707K (-53%) / Per screen: $1,164 / Total cume: $89.5M / Wk 8

20). The Big Short (PAR), 314 theaters (-229)/ 3-day cume: $504K (-50%) / Per screen: $1,604 / Total cume: $69.4M / Wk 13

NOTABLES:

Knight of Cups (BGP), 4 theaters /3-day cume: $61K /Pre screen: $15,138/ Wk 1

The Wave (MAG), 33 theaters /3-day cume: $60K /Pre screen: $1,828/ Wk 1

Trapped (ABR), 3 theaters /3-day cume: $18K / Pre screen: $5,875/ Wk 1

Cemetery Of Splendor (SR), 2 theaters /3-day cume: $7,780 / Pre screen: $3,890/ Wk 1

Behind The White Glasses (IND), 2 theaters /3-day cume: $6,840 / Pre screen: $3,420/ Wk 1

Songs My Brother Taught Me (KINO), 1 theaters /3-day cume: $3,430 / Wk 1

Mekong Hotel (SR), 1 theaters /3-day cume: $999 / Wk 1

********

The top 10 films and notables per studio-reported figures as of Sunday morning as compiled by Amanda N’Duka:

1). Zootopia (DIS), 3,827 theaters/ $19.5M Fri. / $31.8M Sat. (+63%) / $22.5M Sun. (-29%) /3-day cume: $73.7M/ Wk 1

2). London Has Fallen (FOC), 3,490 theaters/ $7.6M Fri. / $8.56M Sat. (+13%) / $5.57M Sun. (-35%) /3-day cume: $21.7M / Wk 1

3). Deadpool (FOX), 3,624 theaters (-232) / $4.7M Fri./ $7.35M Sat. (+56%) / $4.35M Sun. (-41%) / 3-day cume: $16.4M (-47%) / Total Cume: $311.2M / Wk 4

4). Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (PAR), 2,374 theaters/ $2.4M Fri. /$3.2M Sat. (+32%) / $2M Sun. (-39%) / 3-day cume: $7.6M/ Wk 1

5). Gods of Egypt (LG), 3,117 theaters (0)/ $1.3M Fri./ $2.2M Sat. (+68%) / $1.43M Sun. (-36%) /3-day cume: $5M(-65%) /Total cume: $22.8M/ Wk 1

6). Risen (SONY), 2,507 theaters (-408) / $1.08M Fri. /$1.6M Sat. (+51%) / $1.2M Sun. (-27%) / 3-day cume: $3.9M (-43%) / Total cume: $28.7M / Wk 3

7). Kung Fu Panda 3 (DWA/FOX), 2,700 theaters (-596) / $780K Fri. /$1.7M Sat. (+115%) / $1.1M Sun. (-37%) / 3-day cume: $3.5M (-60%) / Total cume: $133.8M / Wk 6

8). The Revenant (FOX), 1,488 theaters (-157) / $885K Fri. /$1.5M Sat. (+74%) / $904K Sun. (-41%) / 3-day cume: $3.3M (-16%) / Total cume: $176M / Wk 11

9). Eddie the Eagle (Fox), 2,044 theaters (+2) / $880K Fri. /$1.4M Sat. (+63%) / $790K Sun. (-45%) / 3-day cume: $3.1M (-49%)/Total cume: $10.9M/ Wk 2

10). The Witch (A24), 1,715 theaters (-489) / $692K Fri. /$997K Sat. (+44%) / $820K Sun. (-18%) / 3-day cume: $2.5M(-50%) / Total cume: $20.9M / Wk 3

NOTABLES:

Triple 9 (OR), 2,205 theaters (0)/ $640K Fri. /$902K Sat. (+41%) / $586K Sun. (-35%) /3-day cume: $2.1M (-65%)/Total cume:$10.2M/ Wk 2

The Other Side of the Door (FOX), 546 theaters / $380K Fri. /$500K Sat. (+32%) / $275K Sun. (-45%) /3-day cume: $1.2M/ Wk 1

Knight of Cups (BG), 4 theaters / $21K Fri. /$22K Sat. (+6%) / $14K Sun. (-34%) /3-day cume: $57K /PTA: $14K/ Wk 1

Trapped (ABR), 1 theaters / $3K Fri. /$4K Sat. (+1%) / $4K Sun. (-30%) /3-day cume: $10K / Wk 1

OSCAR WINNERS:

Spotlight (OR), 1,227 theaters (+542) / $477K Fri. /$821K Sat. (+72%) / $534K Sun. (-35%) / 3-day cume: $1.8M (+149%) / Total cume: $41.6M / Wk 18

The Big Short (PAR), 314 theaters (-229) / $134K Fri. /$251K Sat. (+87%) / $150K Sun. (-40%) / 3-day cume: $535K(-47%) / Total cume: $69.4M / Wk 13

Room (A24), 565 theaters (+35) / $112K Fri. /$190K Sat. (+69%) / $143K Sun. (-25%) / 3-day cume: $445K (-23%) / Total cume: $14.1M / Wk 21

Son Of Saul (SPC), 180 theaters (+29) / $35K Fri. /$67K Sat. (+90%) / $40K Sun. (-40%) / 3-day cume: $143K (+9%) / Total cume: $1.5M / Wk 12

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Below reflects the top 10 films for the weekend of March 4-6 per industry estimates as of Saturday 8:21AM:

1). Zootopia (DIS), 3,827 theaters/ $19.5M Fri./ 3-day cume: $70M-$74M/ Wk 1

2). London Has Fallen (FOC), 3,490 theaters/ $7.5M-$7.8M Fri. / 3-day cume: $21.7M / Wk 1

3). Deadpool (FOX), 3,624 theaters (-232) / $4.7M Fri. (-47%) / 3-day cume: $16.4M (-47%) / Total Cume: $311.2M / Wk 4

4). Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (PAR), 2,374 theaters/ $2.4M Fri. / 3-day cume: $7.2M / Wk 1

5). Gods of Egypt (LG), 3,117 theaters (0)/ $1.3M Fri. (-72%) / 3-day cume: $4.7M (-66%) /Total cume: $22.6M/ Wk 2

6). Risen (SONY), 2,507 theaters (-408) / $1.07M Fri. (-45%) / 3-day cume: $3.8M (-44%) / Total cume: $28.6M / Wk 3

7). The Revenant (FOX), 1,488 theaters (-157) / $888K Fri. (-8%) / 3-day cume: $3.3M (-15%) / Total cume: $176M / Wk 11

8). Kung Fu Panda 3 (DWA/FOX), 2,700 theaters (-596) / $774K Fri. (-60%) / 3-day cume: $3.5M (-61%) / Total cume: $133.8M / Wk 6

9). Eddie the Eagle (Fox), 2,044 theaters (+2) / $883K Fri. (-54%) / 3-day cume: $3.3M (-46%)/Total cume: $11.1M/ Wk 2

10). The Witch (A24), 1,715 theaters (-489) / $692K Fri. (-54%) / 3-day cume: $2.4M (-53%) / Total cume: $20.8M / Wk 3

OSCAR WINNERS:

Spotlight (OR), 1,227 theaters (+542) / $472K Fri. (+145%) / 3-day cume: $1.8M(+146%) / Total cume: $41.6M / Wk 18

The Big Short (PAR), 314 theaters (-229) / $132K Fri. (-51%) / 3-day cume: $512K (-49%) / Total cume: $69.4M / Wk 13

Room (A24), 565 theaters (+35) / $112K Fri. / 3-day cume: $428K (-26%) / Total cume: $14.1M / Wk 21

Son Of Saul (SPC), 180 theaters (+29) / $35K Fri. / 3-day cume: $131 (+1%) / Total cume: $1.5M / Wk 12

NOTABLES:

Triple 9 (OR), 2,205 theaters (0)/ $631K Fri. (-71%) /3-day cume: $2.2M (-65%)/Total cume:$10.3M/ Wk 2

The Other Side of the Door (FOX), 546 theaters / $380K Fri. /3-day cume: $1.1M/ Wk 1

Knight of Cups (BG), 4 theaters / $21K Fri. /3-day cume: $65K /PTA: $16K/ Wk 1

Trapped (ABR), 1 theaters / $4K Fri. /3-day cume: $11K / Wk 1

2ND UPDATE, 12:23PM: Disney’s original animated film about anthropomorphic animals Zootopia is currently looking to hook a $16.5M Friday which would beat the wide opening first day of Frozen at $15.1M, which was a Wednesday, and 2014’s Big Hero 6 which made $15.8M. This puts Zootopia currently with a projected FSS of $65M, which is just below Frozen‘s $67.4M (that played during the high-turnstile post Thanksgiving day frame) and ahead of BH6‘s 3-day of $56.2M.

Gramercy/Focus Features’ London Has Fallen is slotting second with $7.5M Friday and a $22M weekend per industry estimates, which would be 56% better than what Butler’s Gods of Egypt opened up to at $14.1M last weekend in second place. Focus is handling London Has Fallen for a fee. It was financed by Millennium for an estimated $60M. Butler’s sword and sandal film is now looking at $8M for its second outing, down 43% for a running cume through 10 days of $25.8M.

Deadpool is going to beat Tina Fey’s Afghanistan romp with an estimated $18M-$20M fourth FSS. It’s set to eclipse $300M today.

Paramount’s Whiskey Tango Fox Trot which has positive reviews from The New York Observer, The New Yorker, The New York Post, and The Wall Street Journal and a 61% Rotten Tomatoes fresh rating is headed toward $2.5M today and a $7.5M opening.

Doing not so hot on the arthouse front is Broad Green’s Terrence Malick film Knight of Cups which is finally seeing the light of day. It’s playing at the Landmark on Pico and the Hollywood Arclight in Los Angeles and Lincoln Square the Sunshine Cinemas in New York. A film like this would be considered a success if it was pulling in $35K a screen at these locations. It’s currently projected to make $10K a screen.

1ST UPDATE:Disney’s Zootopia made $1.7M last night, which is a B.O. high point in preview for Disney’s original animated fare outside of Pixar. The critically acclaimed movie about a fugitive fox who teams with a rookie-cop rabbit to uncover a conspiracy is on course to do $60M this weekend and could reach $70M. During previous late winter/early spring periods with Alice in Wonderland, Oz the Great and Powerful and last year’s Cinderella, Disney has launched big product four weeks prior to Easter in an effort to capitalize on rolling spring breaks. Rentrak reports the the number of K-12 schools on break will rise from 3% off today to 5% on Monday, while college breaks will move from 4% to 22% over the same block.

In addition, Gramercy/Focus reports that Millennium’s London Has Fallen seized $850K from early showtimes last night at 2,400 sites. The Gerard Butler action pic is on course to be in the lower $20M range this weekend. The first 2013 chapter Olympus Has Fallen drew 53% male vs. 47% female, 73% ages 25 years and older. The sequel also is tracking strongest among older men in first choice, total awareness and definite awareness. Butler’s latest this weekend faces off with his previous last weekend, Lionsgate’s $140M bomb Gods of Egypt which made $17.9M in its first week and is expected to fall 55% in its second FSS or $6.3M. Critics like the second Secret Service movie less than the first, 23% Rotten to 48%. The first Olympus Has Fallen was a surprise hit earning $30.4M in its debut before finaling at $99M stateside.

By comparison to other original Disney animated IP, Zootopia outstrips Big Hero 6 which made $1.4M in Thursday previews, while Frozen churned out $1.2M in Tuesday night previews. In addition, Zootopia beats the preview cash of DreamWorks Animation’s Home which made $650K, Paramount’s SpongeBob: Sponge Out of Water with $560K, Warner Bros.’ The Lego Movie at $400K, Fox’s Rio 2 at $375K as well as the $400K for midnight shows of Wreck-It Ralph in 2012.

Among films in release, 20th Century Fox’s Deadpool made $2.1M in the top spot yesterday and it is expected to cross the $300M threshold today. The Tim Miller-directed title should ring up $20M in its fourth go-round.

Paramount also previewed Tina Fey’s political comedy Whiskey Tango Foxtrot last night. The Melrose Ave. lot’s distribution office just reported $300K for the Glenn Ficarra-John Requa-directed movie last night. That’s less than half of the $769K that Sisters made during its Thursday previews. Granted, that was a much broader comedy. Interestingly enough, Fey counterprogrammed Butler’s Olympus back in 2013 with the $13M romantic comedy Admission which died at the B.O. with a $6.2M opening and $18M domestic cume. Hopefully audiences stomach Whiskey better with an anticipated $10M-$12M three-day. Whiskey carries a $35M estimated production cost, which is $5M more than Sisters which ultimately made $87M in the shadow of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.