Princess Anna and Queen Elsa — and the power of sisterhood — thawed hearts around the globe in their triumphant return to the big screen over the weekend.
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ music-infused Frozen 2 opened to a record $127 million in the U.S. and a fiery $223.3 million overseas from 37 markets for a massive worldwide start of $350.2 million, the No. 1 global debut ever for an animated title, not adjusted for inflation (many family films have a staggered rollout offshore). The pic opened well ahead of expectations, particularly overseas.
Furthering Disney’s domination, Frozen 2 went a long way in reviving the November box office, where ticket sales had tumbled 27 percent year-over-year after recent misses Terminator: Dark Fate and Doctor Sleep, among other titles that disappointed.
Frozen 2, along with other new offerings bowing over the weekend, is positioned to take advantage of the lucrative Thanksgiving corridor.
The female-skewing movie set a new benchmark for an animated film opening in November — in addition to scoring the third-best domestic start of all time for any animated pic behind 2018’s Incredibles 2 ($182.7 million) and 2016’s Finding Dory ($135.1 million), not adjusted for inflation. It’s the first time an animated title launching outside of summer crossed the $100 million mark in its start. Femmes made up nearly 60 percent of the U.S. audience; families made up 70 percent of Friday’s ticket buyers, but by Saturday the audience broadened out.
Once again directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee (who doubles as chief creative officer of Disney Animation Studios), Frozen 2 also smashed numerous records offshore, including landing the best opening of all time for an animated pic in the U.K. ($17.8 million) and France ($13.4 million), as well as the biggest ever for a Pixar or Disney Animation title in China ($53 million), Japan ($18.2 million), Germany ($14.9 million) and Spain ($5.8 million). The film also boasted the third-biggest industry opening of any movie in South Korea ($31.5 million).
The debut performance of the sequel underscores the lasting influence of the original Frozen. The 2013 family film, which launched on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, set a holiday animated record with a five-day domestic gross of $93 million, including $67 million for the three-day weekend. The pic went on to earn an astounding $1.28 billion at the global box office to become the top-grossing animated film of all time, as well as one of the most successful musicals ever, not adjusted for inflation.
“Making a sequel to Frozen was a high bar to set for yourself,” says Disney distribution chief Cathleen Taff. “The filmmakers did an outstanding job delivering this next chapter. It’s emotional and it has something for everyone.”
Frozen 2 earned an A- from audiences, compared to an A+ for Frozen. Despite critics seemingly not liking the new movie as much as the first, it didn’t seem to diminish filmgoers’ interest.
(Excerpt) Read more in: The Hollywood Reporter