Arendelle still rules over the world of animation. On Sunday, Disney’s “Frozen II” became the highest grossing animated film in box office history, passing a record held for six years by none other than the original “Frozen,” which grossed $1.27 billion after its release in November 2013.
While the sequel’s performance is more frontloaded than the original “Frozen” with a $130 million domestic opening, it is still showing remarkable legs with $11.8 million grossed domestically in its seventh weekend. Overseas, it opened this weekend in Brazil, Argentina, and Bolivia, earning the highest openings ever for a Walt Disney Animation Studios release in those countries.
Overall, “Frozen II” has a current total of $450 million domestic and $875 million overseas, bringing its total to $1.32 billion. It currently ranks No. 14 on the all-time box office charts, and needs just $75 million to pass the $1.4 billion total of “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and enter the top 10. If it does so, it will also past the global totals of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” ($1.33 billion), “Black Panther” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2” (both with $1.34 billion).
“Frozen II” was part of a dominant 2019 for Disney at the box office with studio grosses reaching a record-shattering $3.76 billion domestic and $11.1 billion worldwide. That does not include results for films from the recently acquired 20th Century Fox, which would push the total to $4.3 billion domestic with a 37% market share and $13.1 billion worldwide.
Disney isn’t expected to match that unprecedented high in 2020, but will likely lead the global charts again with films like “Mulan” and “Black Widow.” Walt Disney Animation Studios, under the new creative direction of “Frozen” co-director Jennifer Lee, will return to creating original titles with “Raya and the Last Dragon,” which stars Awkwafina and will be released in November.