Will Disney Make 'Frozen 2'?
In terms of worldwide grosses, Frozen has grossed $763 million worldwide, the 50th biggest grosser of all-time. Of films that have earned as much or more, only 2012 ($765m), E.T. ($792m), Inception ($825m), The Lion King ($987m), and Titanic $2.16b) have no sequels either in current existence on in active development. For the record, sequels for Independence Day, Alice In Wonderland, and Avatar are currently in development. Point being, nearly every single film that has earned the grosses on the level of Frozen has received a theatrical sequel or prequel. If Disney walks away from a theoretical Frozen 2, it will be a big deal simply because not making a sequel after an original makes this level of money is all-but-unprecedented.
This is not about whether there should be a theatrical Frozen 2, from an artistic point of view. There surely can be more stories to tell as the kingdom comes to terms with Elsa’s “totally not a metaphor for homosexuality” ice powers, as well as how the two mostly separated sisters adjust to actually be in each others’ lives again. But financially speaking, under pretty much any other circumstances, a theatrical sequel to Frozen would already be scheduled for Thanksgiving 2016 or 2017. That is what makes a discussion about Frozen 2 somewhat unique. With any other studio, a sequel to a film like Frozen, which doesn’t remotely close off potential for further storytelling (as opposed to something like Titanic, The Passion of the Christ, or 2012), it would be a foregone conclusion.