MOVIES

6:40 AM PST 11/25/2019 by

Disney's sequel to the 2013 animated blockbuster exceeded all expectations in its debut, including setting several new records at the box office.

Walt Disney Animation's Frozen 2 created a global blizzard in its box office debut, grossing an estimated $130 million in North America and $228.2 million internationally for a worldwide start of $358.2 million.

That's ahead of Sunday's estimates, which showed the family pic debuting to a record-shattering $127 million domestically and $350.2 million globally.

The sequel to the beloved 2013 film about princesses and the power of sisterhood came in well ahead of expectations after other November franchise installments got badly iced (Charlie's Angels,Terminator: Fate and Doctor Sleep).

Frozen earned $1.28 billion globally to become the top-grossing animated release of all time. The musical tale also won numerous awards, including the Oscar for best animated feature and for best original song ("Let It Go").

"Granted, it's not easy following up on the first film," says Disney distribution chief Cathleen Taff. "Six years is a pretty big gap, but the length of time doesn't matter when people feel invested in the characters."

The avalanche of support for the sequel is yet another victory for Disney, as well as a big win for returning directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, who doubles as chief creative officer of Disney Animation Studios. Disney has already skated past a record $10.8 billion in global ticket sales at the 2019 box office, and there's still more than five weeks left to go in the year, which will include the December premiere of Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker.

Here are the records and highlights of Frozen 2's debut, not adjusted for inflation.

Biggest Global Opening of All Time for an Animated Film

The previous champ was Pixar and Disney's Toy Story 4 earlier this year with $240.9 million.

Generally speaking, animated tentpoles have a staggered release overseas but in this instance, Frozen 2 opened day and date in 37 material markets, including major territories such as China, the U.K., France and Germany.

Top International Opening of All Time for an Animated Film

Frozen 2 wrested the crown from 2009's Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs ($152 million).

In terms of individual markets, Frozen 2 landed the top opening ever for an animated title in a slew of markets, including in the U.K. ($17.8 million) and France ($13.4 million).

Elsewhere, it was the highest opening ever for a Disney Animation Studios or Pixar release in China ($53 million), Japan ($18.2 million), Germany ($14.9 million) and Spain ($5.8 million). And it was the top opening for a Disney Animation title in numerous Latin American markets, including Mexico ($9.3 million).

Biggest Domestic November Opening for an Animated Film

In North America, Frozen held the previous record with a five-day Thanksgiving debut of $93 million, including $67 million for the three-day weekend (the pic debuted the Wednesday before the holiday).

Biggest Imax Opening for an Animated Film

The large-format exhibitor generated $18 million in global ticket sales.

Third-Biggest Domestic Animated Opening of All Time

Frozen 2 ranks behind Pixar/Disney's Incredibles 2 ($182.7 million) and Finding Dory ($135.1 million), both from Pixar/Disney. Before now, no animated film launching outside of summer has crossed the $100 million mark in its launch.

Third-Biggest Industry Opening of All Time in South Korea for Any Film

Princess Anna and Queen Elsa skated to $31.5 million in South Korea. Earlier this year, Avengers: Endgame set an all-time record when debuting to $46.9 million, eclipsing the $46 million debut of South Korean pic Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days in 2018.

Top Three-Day Domestic Opening for Walt Disney Animation Studios

Frozen 2 beat out Zootopia, which started off with $75.1 million over the March 4-6 weekend in 2016.

Nov. 25, 8:40 a.m. Updated with revised numbers for Frozen 2.