Parents and children from 2013
would remember vividly the genesis of a pop-culture phenomenon stemming from
what had been just one Disney animated film. But that movie was “Frozen,” and
by the power of its memorable cast of characters and one catchy ear-worm of a
song in “Let It Go,” it became in itself a pillar of marketing for the House of
Mouse, getting two follow-up animated shorts (one a Christmas special) and a
sequel, “Frozen II” which premiered last Friday in the US. For its first
weekend, the film looks to be gunning for the $1-million Disney movie club.
The Hollywood Reporter tells us that “Frozen II,” which reunites
the cast and crew of the 2013 animated blockbuster for a new and more thrilling
magical adventure, has certainly worked its movie magic on its opening weekend.
From the US box office alone it has garnered $130 million, while the
international take, from 37 countries, nearly doubles that for $228.2 million.
Combined, “Frozen II” has already earned $358.2 million for Disney, making for
a solid foundation for which the film can start the race to a billion dollars
in tickets. It is the new top global premiere for animated films.
Not only has the sequel made more
money on its first days in the cinema than its predecessor, “Frozen II” has
also done a great deal to put the November box office in general back on an
even keel. Overhyped but underperforming films such as “Doctor Sleep” and well-established
reboot/sequel “Terminator: Dark Fate” ended up seeing ticket sales fall into a
27-percent slump. The arguably most powerful Disney Princess/Queen and her
sister are set to lead a new batch of blockbusters in reinvigorating moviegoer
attendance for this week of Thanksgiving.
It is certainly in the overseas
cinemas that “Frozen II” made the best impact, with how it has topped the best
animated film openings in several countries it has already been released in.
China, as expected, gave a massive share of the international box office with
$53 million. Other all-time top grossing premieres for “Frozen II” happened in
Japan ($18.2 million), UK ($17.8 million), Germany ($14.9 million), France ($13.4
million), and Spain ($5.8 million). In South Korea, the Disney animated film’s
$31.5 million take is counted as the third-highest all-time opening weekend of
any movie. It is a particularly successful start for “Frozen II” despite critic
reviews rating it slightly lower than the 2013 original.
“Frozen II” stars Idina Menzel,
Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad, with music from Robert Lopez and
Kristen Anderson-Lopez, under the direction of Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck. The
film is still now showing.
0 comments:
Post a Comment