Disney’s record year at the box office continues to roll on asFrozen 2has crossed the $1 billion mark at the box office. The animated sequel has been raking in the cash ever since its release last month and, with the additional $19.1 million it took in domestically over the weekend, plus another impressive international haul, its total now sits at $1.03 billion. What’s more, this is the studio’s sixth movie to cross the major milestone in 2019.
The original Frozen was released in 2013 and became a larger hit than anyone expected. Propelled by the smash hitLet It Go, the movie grossed $1.27 billion, making it one of the biggest movies ever. As such, a sequel became a top priority forDisney, but it still took six years to get it to theaters. Some wondered if that time gap would be an issue. These numbers suggest the six-year gap did little, if any harm to its financial prospects. Directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee returned to make an equally huge hit that should, at the very least, match its predecessor by the end of its run.
Looking at the largerbox officepicture, this joins five other movies released by the Mouse House this year that made at least $1 billion globally.Avengers: Endgame($2.79 billion),The Lion King($1.65 billion),Captain Marvel($1.12 billion),Toy Story 4($1.07 billion) andAladdin($1.05 billion) are also in that club. Even beforeFrozen 2reached ten figures globally,Disney became the first studio in history to earn $10 billionat the box office in a single year, and nobody else has even come close.
What’s more, only two other studios have released a single movie that went on tocross the $1 billion milestone this year. Warner Bros.' surprise hit DC Comics adaptationJoker($1.05 billion) and Sony’s not-so-surprising hit sequelSpider-Man: Far From Home($1.13 billion) were the only other two to pull it off this year. Though, it’s worth pointing out thatFar From Homewas produced by Disney’s Marvel Studios and connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not only that, but it came out mere months afterAvengers: Endgameand served as something of an epilogue to the events of what is now the highest-grossing movie in history. So, while it may be a Sony release, it’s safe to say Disney provided a big assist there.
None of this even accounts for the Fox movies released by Disney this year following the merger, which went into effect back in March. Plus, Disney still hasStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkerhitting theaters this weekend. It is truly a level of dominance that other studios, for the time being, simply can’t hope to match. Is it too much? Is this bordering on a monopoly? Perhaps that’s a discussion for another time. In any event, it’s hard not to be impressed at the raw numbers. This news was previously reported byDeadline.
