‘Frozen II’ Skates to $8.5 Million at Thursday Box Office
“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” and “21 Bridges” also open wide
Brian Welk | November 22, 2019 @ 8:23 AM
Last Updated: November 22, 2019 @ 8:45 AM
"Frozen II" / Disney
“Frozen II,” Disney’s follow-up to the pop culture phenomenon “Frozen” from 2013, brought in $8.5 million at the box office in Thursday night previews beginning at 6 p.m. It opens on over 4,300 screens this weekend.
The fall box office is finally set to heat up with the arrival of “Frozen II,” which the studio is projecting for an opening in the $100 million range, with trackers saying it should land between $105-115 million, though it could rise to $130 million if the excitement is as high as some trackers suspect. It opens opposite “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” which stars Tom Hanks as Mister Rogers, and the thriller “21 Bridges” starring Chadwick Boseman, both of which go wide in the last weekend before Thanksgiving.
“Frozen II” already soared past all-time records for animated films in pre-sales on the ticketing site Fandango. So the comp to watch is “Incredibles 2,” which hit a Thursday preview record for an animated film when it made $18.5 million in its Thursday previews last summer ahead of a $183 million opening weekend total. But it landed closer to “Finding Dory,” which was the previous animation record-holder and did $9 million in previews before opening to $135 million.
You could also look at Disney Animation’s “Zootopia,” which did just $1.7 million in previews and opened to $75 million, or for a more recent comp, “Toy Story 4” made $12 million and opened to $120.9 million domestically. The comparisons to both “Moana” and “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” the other two recent Disney Animation titles, is more difficult seeing as Disney moved up the release of “Frozen II” to a week ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Internationally, “Frozen II” also opened to $18.6 million across 26 markets and was the number one title in all of them. It also posted the highest animated opening day of all-time in Korea, Indonesia, Turkey, Philippines, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. So far the key markets it has opened in include Korea, France and Germany.
Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven are back for another animated adventure in the Kingdom of Arendelle, as the group travels to a hidden, magical forest that may contain secrets about their past and hold the key to saving Arendelle’s future.
“Frozen II” is directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, and Kirsten Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad all returned to the voice cast. The film’s newcomers are Evan Rachel Wood, Sterling K. Brown, Jason Segel, Martha Plimpton, Ciarán Hinds, Rachel Matthews and Alfred Molina. Critics have been somewhat more muted on the new “Frozen,” as the film has a 77 percent fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to the original’s 90 percent. However, it still has a 94% verified audience score from Rotten Tomatoes and a 4.5 out of 5-star rating from ComScore’s PostTrak ratings system among general audiences and kids.
“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” which is based on a true story surrounding the life of Fred Rogers, made $900,000 at the Thursday box office from 2,865 screens at previews beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Sony Pictures is releasing the Mister Rogers movie starring Tom Hanks and Matthew Rhys and is projecting an opening of $14 million, with independent trackers saying it could go to between $17-20 million. The film is a mid-budget movie and an awards hopeful for Hanks especially.
“Can You Ever Forgive Me?” director Marielle Heller helms the story of a jaded journalist at Esquire magazine in the 1990s who is assigned to write a profile on Mister Rogers and finds his life transformed by Rogers’ sincerity and charm. It currently has a 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes and should perform well into the Thanksgiving holiday.
Finally, STXfilms’ “21 Bridges” starring Chadwick Boseman made $700,000 in its Thursday night previews. It opens on 2,665 screens this weekend. Comparisons include “Widows,” which took in $572,500 before opening to $12.3 million, or Focus Features’ “Harriet” from earlier this month, which had $600,000 in previews and opened to $11.6 million.
It is a mid-budget movie of approximately $33 million that’s poised to open between $12-14 million. STX is hoping to cash in on the pedigree of “Avengers: Endgame” directors Anthony and Joe Russo, who produced the thriller that features “Black Panther” star Boseman.
Boseman plays a detective in New York who puts the entire city on lockdown in order to track two suspected cop killers (Stephan James and Taylor Kitsch). Sienna Miller, Keith David, and J. K. Simmons also star in the film, which is directed by Brian Kirk from a script by Matthew Michael Carnahan and Adam Mervis. The film is a production of STXfilms, MWM Studios and Huayi Brothers Pictures.
30 Highest Grossing Animated Movies of All Time Worldwide
A look at top animated moneymakers as of May 2020, from "The Lion King" to "Zootopia." The numbers are not adjusted for inflation.
30. "The Incredibles" (2004)
Worldwide Gross: $633,019,734
In 2004, Brad Bird's first Pixar outing wowed audiences with complicated animated action scenes, cross-generational comedy and superhero mayhem.
Pixar Animation Studios
29. "Sing" (2016)
Worldwide Gross: $634,151,679
Illumination's animal-karaoke musical crooned its way onto the list.
28. "Moana" (2016)
Worldwide Gross: $643,331,111
Disney's Hawaii-set movie scored two Oscar nominations, for Best Animated Feature and Lin-Manuel Miranda's song "How Far I'll Go."
Disney
27. "Big Hero 6" (2014)
Worldwide Gross: $657,818,612
Disney's 2014 robot tale combined anime aesthetics, superhero action and Pixar's heart.
Disney Animation Studios
26. "Ice Age: The Meltdown" (2006)
Worldwide Gross: $660,940,780
Fox's 2006 prehistoric romp proved the success of the first was no fluke.
Twentieth Century Fox
25. "Kung Fu Panda 2" (2011)
Worldwide Gross: $665,692,281
With the franchise's skills proven, DreamWorks Animation gave the world another hit of comedy with this animated martial arts sequel in 2011.
Dreamworks Animation Studios
24. "Up" (2009)
Worldwide Gross: $735,099,082
The 2009 fan favorite demonstrated that original ideas with big emotions could make big money.
Pixar Animation Studios
23. "Monsters University" (2013)
Worldwide Gross: $744,229,437
Ten years after the release of "Monsters Inc," Pixar sent fans back to school in a 2013 prequel.
Pixar Animation Studios
22. "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" (2012)
Worldwide Gross: $746,921,274
DreamWorks Animation's "Madagascar" series kept the studio afloat with a string of breezy successes, including 2012's third installment.
Dreamworks Animation Studios
21. "Shrek Forever After" (2010)
Worldwide Gross: $752,600,867
The big green ogre's final chapter dropped in 2010.
Dreamworks Animation Studio
20. "Shrek the Third" (2007)
Worldwide Gross: $798,958,162
Made in 2007, this sequel proved there was still some gas left in this fantasy mash-up comedy franchise.
Dreamworks Animation Studio
19. "Coco" (2017)
Worldwide Gross: $807,082,196
Directed by Lee Unkrich, this animated film captured everyone's hearts and even won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2018.
Disney/Pixar
18. "Inside Out" (2015)
Worldwide Gross: $857,611,174
Disney Pixar hit the home run again with this animated feature film about the emotions inside your head, starring Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling and Bill Hader.
Disney/Pixar
17. "The Secret Life of Pets" (2016)
Worldwide Gross:$875,457,937
Universal/Illumination's story of dogs seeking out adventure while their owners are away charmed its way onto the list.
Profits abound for this 2012 fourth installment in the chilly prehistoric franchise, followed just behind it's predecessor.
Twentieth Century Fox Animation
15."Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" (2009)
Worldwide Gross: $888,805,671
While other films have made bigger waves in the States, international sales have always returned big money for Fox's "Ice Age" franchise, proven again by the 2009 entry.
Twentieth Century Fox Animation
14. "Shrek 2" (2004)
Worldwide Gross: $919,838,758
DreamWorks Animation proved to be worthy Pixar competition with its successful "Shrek" franchise.
Dreamworks Animation Studio
13. "Finding Nemo" (2003)
Worldwide Gross: $940,335,536
"Finding Nemo" was something of a second-wind for Pixar, solidifying the company's place as the titans of modern animation.
Pixar Studios
12. "The Lion King" (1994)
Worldwide Gross: $968,483,777
Can you feel the love tonight for this Disney animated classic?
Disney Animation Studios
11. "Despicable Me 2" (2013)
Worldwide Gross: $970,761,885
Illumination's sequel managed to make more money than its predecessor and put the upcoming "Minions" spin-off into motion.
Illumination Studios
10. "Zootopia" (2016)
Worldwide Gross: $1,023,784,195
Disney charmed audiences in 2016 with its cop thriller pairing a rookie rabbit cop and a wily fox informant.
Disney
9. "Finding Dory" (2016)
Worldwide Gross: $1,028,570,889
The sequel to "Finding Nemo" swam right back into audience's hearts.
Pixar
8. "Despicable Me 3" (2017)
Worldwide Gross: $1,034,799,409
Illumination's follow-up -- featuring Gru's blond-haired brother -- became the franchise's biggest grosser.
7. "Toy Story 3" (2010)
Worldwide Gross: $1,066,969,703
Built on Pixar's critical and commercial goodwill, the third installment in the mega-franchise brought in big profits.
Pixar Studios
6. "Toy Story 4" (2019)
Worldwide Gross: $1,073,394,593
Nearly two decades after the last film, Woody and Buzz and the gang returned for the top-grossing film in the series (not adjusted for inflation, that is).
Disney
5. "Minions" (2015)
Worldwide Gross: $1,159,398,397
The little yellow helpers crossed the $1 billion mark at the end of August, raking in more money then "Despicable Me" and "Despicable Me 2" for Universal Pictures.
Universal Pictures/Illumination Entertainment
4. "Incredibles 2" (2018)
Worldwide Gross: $1,242,805,359
The superpowered family sprung back into action a full 14 years after the original -- but far surpassed the original film's box office haul.
Disney/Pixar
3. "Frozen" (2013)
Worldwide Gross: $1,276,480,335
Disney's 2013 smash-hit takes the box office top spot. And then there was merchandising, video on demand and home video that audiences just couldn't let go...
Disney Animation Studios
2. "Frozen II" (2019)
Worldwide Gross: $1,450,026,933
Though it failed to garner an Oscar nom for Best Animated Feature, this sequel still managed to outgross its predecessor.
1. The Lion King (2019)
Worldwide Gross: $1,631,724,000
Whether the film is animated or live-action has been up for debate, the new "Lion King" was computer animated, so we're putting it on the list.
Disney
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Cartoon characters that cleaned up at the global box office, from “The Lion King” to “Incredibles 2”
A look at top animated moneymakers as of May 2020, from "The Lion King" to "Zootopia." The numbers are not adjusted for inflation.