Fear not sequel fatigue, Frozen 2 has just become the highest grossing animated movie of all time. Frozen 2 released back in late November 2019 to mostly positive reviews, and has since skyrocketed to the highest echelon of the box office. It seems Disney played their cards right with the release of Frozen 2 by having the film launch worldwide the weekend before Thanksgiving, essentially ensuring the sequel wouldn't face the same "challenges" its predecessor did.
The Frozen movies are no stranger to breaking box office records, as the original long held the record for highest grossing Disney princess movie. Because of the original's success, Disney had high hopes for the financial prospects of Frozen 2. Any opposing doubt was quickly squelched, too, as Frozen 2 proved to exceed expectations by making over $130 million in its opening weekend. In the month and a half since release, Frozen 2 hasn't stopped its jaunt through the box office record books, first by topping the box office in November, then by surpassing the original in gross just last week.
Frozen 2 ($1.325 billion) has just become the highest grossing animated movie of all time, reported by Variety. In Frozen 2's rapid ascent to the top, it surpassed the likes of the original Frozen and the most recent title holder, Incredibles 2. However, The Lion King, another Disney made movie who many deem animated, is still ahead of Frozen 2 by about $300 million. Disney argues that The Lion King is a live action film despite being made entirely with computer graphics and visual effects.
Regardless, The Lion King and Frozen 2 turned huge profits and were two of six Disney movies to gross 1$ billion dollars in 2019. There's been a lot of conjecture as to whether or not a third Frozen movie will be made, but seeing the enormous success of both films in the series, it seems unlikely Disney would pass up on the opportunity to make more money.
It's been a strange few years for animated movies at the box office. Disney has shifted their strategy a bit by remaking older animated films into live action/CGI productions, evident by The Lion King and Aladdin. The juggernaut company has no plans of stopping either as their next remake of Mulan is set to premiere in March 2020. In a landscape of remakes and sequels, Frozen 2 doesn't especially stand apart. But it is worth mentioning that the first Frozen was one of just a few new animated Disney movies of the last ten years, along with Moana, Big Hero 6 and Zootopia. However, Frozen 2 has beat them all out in its climb to the top and now stands alone as the highest grossing animated movie of all time.
Source: Variety