It used to be that China was a gold mine for certain types of U.S. films.

Big studio blockbusters. Action movies. Animated flicks for the whole family. (All with the caveat, of course, that they were approved by the Chinese government).

Those films could regularly bring in north of $100 million just in China, turning some flops into success stories.

But in recent years, the demand for American films dried up. Until last week, the top-grossing American film in China this year was Universal’s “Jurassic World Rebirth,” which brought in $79 million there.

That’s why the box office performance of Walt Disney Co.’s “Zootopia 2” was such a surprise. During its opening weekend in China, the movie grossed $272 million over, making it the biggest opening ever for a non-local animated movie. Ov

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