Frozen was a force to be reckoned with at the domestic box office pretty much from the beginning. The movie went on to gross more than $1 billion worldwide and it became a pop culture phenomenon. "Let it Go" was on endless repeat. Anna and Elsa are still some of the most visited characters at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
Frozen might not be quite as ubiquitous at this moment with the general public as it was back then, but that may be about to change, because early projections are indicating that Frozen II could see an even bigger opening weekend than the original movie had.
Frozen opened on Thanksgiving weekend and saw a record setting $93.6 million during its first five days of release. Frozen II will be opening on the weekend before Thanksgiving, but that may not have much of an impact because Variety is reporting the sequel could still do $100 million in its opening weekend.
Needless to say, that sort of opening for Frozen II would be massive. The biggest opening weekend for a Walt Disney Animation Studios film currently belongs to Zootopia at $75 million, the original Frozen did about $67 million over the three day weekend, so even if this $100 million number drops, Frozen II is still almost certain to set a record wherever it comes in.
Frozen II won't be without competition at the box office, but the Chadwick Boseman cop drama 21 Bridges and the Tom Hanks-led Mister Rogers movie, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood are clearly meant to appeal to different audiences. Frozen II has the broadest appeal and is going to bring in all the families.
If there was any worry that somehow the Frozen brand and slowed in popularity, I guess we can forget that. And with the movie still three weeks away, there's always the possibility these projections could go up. People who aren't necessarily thinking about Frozen II right now might start to get in that mood as we get closer. The people excited to see it now are unlikely to be less excited later.
Frozen II sees Anna, Elsa, and friends, leaving their home to travel to an enchanted forest. The same force that locked the forest away from the outside world is now threatening Arendelle, and Elsa's powers appear to be the key.
From all outward appearances Frozen II looks to be a bit darker and more grown-up than the initial film. This may be part of what is making the movie so interesting to audiences. That initial group of kids that made the original movie a hit has grown up at least a little, but the movie looks to want to keep them engaged with the sequel.
Frozen II hits theaters November 22.
