How a koala's theater dream became the highest-grossing animated film of 2021

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Following the success of the 2016 original, Sing 2 expanded the franchise into a global phenomenon. By blending a star-studded voice cast with a high-stakes narrative set in Redshore City, the film overcame pandemic-era production hurdles to dominate the box office and push the franchise past $1 billion worldwide.

Directed by Garth Jennings and produced by Illumination, Sing 2 follows Buster Moon as he attempts to take his theater troupe to the big stage in Redshore City. The narrative centers on the group's desperate bid to impress media mogul Jimmy Crystal by promising a sci-fi musical featuring the reclusive rock legend Clay Calloway. The production is fraught with internal and external conflict, from Rosita's fear of heights to the threat of Jimmy Crystal’s wrath when he discovers the troupe has not actually secured Calloway.

The film’s development was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing the team to transition to remote work following the closure of Illumination Studios Paris. Despite these logistical challenges, the film achieved a massive scale, with the finale featuring a crowd department of over 10,000 animals. The production also leaned into high-fashion collaborations, with the brand Rodarte designing specific costumes for the characters, while the score was composed by Joby Talbot and featured an original track by U2.

Commercially, the film proved to be a resilient success in a difficult market. It grossed $408.4 million worldwide against an $85 million budget, becoming the highest-grossing animated film of 2021. Its performance was bolstered by a strong social media presence, which saw 393.1 million impressions during its opening weekend—a figure 24% higher than pre-pandemic benchmarks. By its fifteenth weekend, the film helped the Sing franchise surpass the $1 billion milestone, cementing its status as a major cultural and financial achievement for Universal Pictures.

The film’s success was not just in its numbers but in its reach, maintaining a top-ten box office position for fifteen weeks. It achieved several milestones, including becoming the first animated film of the pandemic to cross $100 million in the U.S. and Canada. The film's global appeal was evident in its consistent performance across international markets, including strong openings in France, Mexico, Germany, and the U.K., where it eventually surpassed the gross of the original film.

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