Disney may have depended on Pixar and Marvel to give them the bulk of their profits in the past, but it looks like their old fashioned animated musicals may be just as profitable as they used to be. With FROZEN winning fans during the holiday season and topping not only the box office but also the music charts, Disney already knew they had a franchise worth exploiting for sequels and all sorts of media spin-offs, but now they are breaking records without even trying.
The latest numbers from Box Office Mojo hold FROZEN at a cumulative worldwide gross of $1.032 billion which ranks it as the 13th highest grossing movie of all time. That outranks JURASSIC PARK, STAR WARS: EPISODE I, and THE DARK KNIGHT. That is just theatrical box office, too. FROZEN was just released on Blu-ray this week so imagine how much more it can make.
Disney has had lulls in their animated films before which have been boosted with creative spurts. In the 1990s, films like BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, ALADDIN, and THE LION KING reinvigorated Disney in a way not seen since the 1950s and 1960s. For the last twenty years, Disney has relied on Pixar to carry their animated slate as the main studio turned out mediocre cartoon fare. But, with TANGLED being a hit and now FROZEN shattering expectations, Disney is assuredly going to continue to make these types of films on a regular basis.
While fans of this site may not be the target for these animated films, you have to admire the return to making movies the way Walt Disney used to back in the day. With FROZEN 2 undoubtedly coming our way, I just hope the studio doesn’t forget about quality, original films over trying to replicate lightning in a bottle with tedious sequels.
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