Inside Out 2 just keeps surpassing milestones at the box office, but Disney’s history indicates that Frozen 3 will see even more impressive results. The 2024 Pixar sequel joined the billion-dollar club only a few weeks into its stint at theaters, surpassing 2015’s Inside Out both domestically and globally. This is especially impressive considering movies’ difficulty getting audiences to turn up at theaters since the COVID-19 pandemic. Given its recent failures, Disney desperately needed this win, and we can expect to see even better results with the coming Frozen sequel.

Disney had a rough year in 2023, with both Wish and Elemental suffering during their respective opening weekends in theaters. The company really needed a hard hitter in 2024, and Inside Out 2 was basically a shoo-in. The movie has brought in $552 million domestically since mid-July, making it the fourth highest-grossing animated movie of all time. It has even surpassed Frozen 2, though the 2019 Disney sequel still outdoes Inside Out 2 with its global numbers. These results are pretty impressive, and we can likely expect future Disney sequels to perform even better.

Disney’s Animated Sequels Continue To Out Perform Their Predecessors

Trends Hint That Frozen 3 Will Top Frozen 2 (& Therefore Inside Out 2)

Inside Out 2 has only just surpassed Frozen 2 on a domestic level, but it still has a ways to go globally. The 2024 film sits at $1.3 billion worldwide, while Frozen 2 holds the top spot at $1.5 billion. It’s difficult to say whether Inside Out 2 will end up coming close, but we can safely assume that Frozen 3, which has a planned release date of November 25, 2026, will outperform both Disney sequels. After all, the House of Mouse’s history shows sequels consistently outperforming their predecessors.

No matter how much an animated Disney movie makes at the global box office, its sequel always seems to outdo it. Therefore, even if Inside Out 2 manages to climb above Frozen 2‘s global gross (as it did the domestic gross), Frozen 3 is sure to top even this number. Of course, this assumes that audiences haven’t become burned out on the Frozen franchise (a pretty safe assumption) or that the theater industry doesn’t take any further hits like it did in 2020. However, based on current trends, theatrical turnout should only increase by 2026.

Theatrical Turnout Is Likely To Improve By Frozen 3’s 2026 Release

There Are A Lot Of Big Releases To Draw Audiences To Theaters In 2026

2019 was an excellent year for movies, with nine films joining the billion-dollar club, including Frozen 2. Unfortunately, the theater industry basically collapsed in 2019, with COVID-related closures keeping audiences from buying tickets. Not a single movie came even close to $1 billion in 2020. 2021 saw a slight improvement, with Spider-Man: No Way Home making $1.9 billion. Three total films made over $1 billion in 2022, while two managed this milestone in 2023. So far, Only Inside Out 2 has surpassed $1 billion in 2024, but there is indeed hope for future years.

The end of the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes in 2023 means that a great many exciting projects are underway in 2024, with the expectation of several significant releases for 2025 and 2026. Disney seems to be trying to duplicate its 2019 success in 2026 with a similar lineup that includes new Avengers and Star Wars movies, Frozen 3, and Toy Story 5. With a success story like Inside Out 2 under its belt, trust in Disney is beginning to be restored. Hopefully, this means that, by 2026, audiences will be far more ready to get back into theaters to buy tickets.

Disney Still Has A Lot To Prove, But Its Sequels’ Success Keep It On The Map

Sequels Will Keep Disney Animation Studios Afloat

Of course, Inside Out 2 doing so well at the box office doesn’t necessarily mean Disney’s woes are over. It’s difficult to forget the abysmal performance of the studio’s 2023 movies, and there is a lot of concern that the House of Mouse has run out of fresh ideas. This is only supported by the fact that the first movie to perform as well as Disney’s past classics is another sequel. The company desperately needs a new, original movie to perform well in theaters. However, this can only happen if Disney uses existing characters and worlds too.

Movies like Inside Out 2 and Frozen 3 keep Disney on the map and allow it to bring in enough money to invest in great new stories. It’s through these existing franchises that new ideas will be funded, therefore allowing more franchises to evolve as they have for decades. Overall, Disney still has a lot to prove, but its new sequels continuing to set records and overcome milestones prove that the company isn’t going anywhere.