Frozen 2 has made box office history after achieving the biggest opening weekend in earnings of all time for an animated movie.
The Disney film made $358 (£277m) in its first three days of cinema release in 37 countries including the US, China and the UK.
The second chapter of the film, centred on sisters Elsa and Anna, beat the box office record set in June by Toy Story 4, which opened to $240.9m worldwide and was made by Disney-owned studio Pixar.
The film also surpassed the first Frozen film, which made $110.6m on its opening weekend in 2013. Frozen, which spawned musical hits such as Let it Go, went on to gross $1.27bn making it the biggest animated film of all time.
“We are definitely thrilled,” said Cathleen Taff, Disney’s president of theatrical distribution. “It is not easy to follow up the original Frozen. We are cautiously optimistic the film [will] continue to have legs. I think we are going to have a good run.”
Frozen 2’s box office haul benefited from its simultaneous release. Generally, animated films have a more staggered roll out worldwide, which reduces the opportunity for a mammoth opening weekend.
In the US, the film made $130m – making it the biggest animated film opening for November, beating The Incredibles, The Grinch and the first Frozen.
In the UK, Frozen 2 took £15m , a record in the country for an animated film. It is the third-highest opening of the year behind The Lion King (£16.7m) and Avengers: Endgame (£43.4m).
Frozen 2 is the highest-grossing debut ever for Walt Disney Animation Studios, which has been making films since 1937.
Hasbro and other officially licensed toy makers are flooding the market with merchandise – from Anna and Elsa dolls to castle play sets – in anticipation of a worldwide merchandise stampede alongside the success of the film in the run-up to Christmas.
Disney has partnered with more companies than it did for the original Frozen, which lacked the merchandise to cope with the demand from cinema-goers. Partners include fashion accessory chain Claire’s, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Disney has so far made about $3.5bn at the box office this year thanks to a string of hits including Avengers: Endgame, which overtook Titanic to be the top-grossing film of all time, The Lion King and Aladdin. The entertainment giant is set for a bumper festive season with the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, expected to be another billion-dollar global hit. Five Disney films have so far made more than $1bn at the box office this year, including Captain Marvel and Toy Story 4.
Top 10 worldwide opening weekends for an animated film
1. Frozen 2 – $358m
2. Toy Story 4 – $240.9m
3. Incredibles 2 – $235.8m
4. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs – $218.4m
5. Finding Dory – $185.7m
6. The Simpsons Movie – $170.9m
7. Despicable Me 2 – $147m
8. Toy Story 3 – $145m
9. Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted – $137.6m
10. Monsters University – $136.9m
