Coming into 2016, it was a no brainer that "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" would be one of the year's highest-grossing films.

Meanwhile, "Zootopia," an original Walt Disney animated film with new characters, was seen by many as risky -- especially coming on the heels of the company's Pixar studio having its first relative dud with November's "The Good Dinosaur," also an original piece.

Turns...