'Frozen 2' ices out competition in American theatres

US actor Josh Gad (3rd L), US actor Idina Menzel (C) and US actor Jonathan Groff (3rd R) pose with people dressed as characters from the film on the red carpet as they arrive to attend the European premiere of the film "Frozen 2" in London on November 17, 2019. PHOTO | AFP

By  AFP

What you need to know:

  • The film follows the beloved characters from 2013 hit "Frozen"

  • In second was last week's leader, "Ford v Ferrari"

  • New Sony release "A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood" debuted in third place

Disney's new release "Frozen 2" iced out competitors to top North American box offices over the weekend, taking in an estimated $127 million (about Sh13 billion), industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said Sunday.

The film follows the beloved characters from 2013 hit "Frozen," as they travel to an ancient, autumn-bound forest in search of the origin of Queen Elsa's (voiced by Idina Menzel) magical ice powers.

ANIMATED MOVIE RECORD

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"Frozen 2," which has come out just in time for the winter holidays, set a November record for an animated movie and secured the third-best start for an animated film behind fellow Disney titles "Incredibles 2" (2018) and "Finding Dory" (2016), according to Variety.

In second was last week's leader, "Ford v Ferrari," with an estimated $16 million (about Sh1.63 billion). The Fox film is based on the true story of how a team at Ford built a car to challenge Ferrari's long-time dominance of France's classic 24-hour Le Mans race.

New Sony release "A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood," a drama about a journalist's relationship with beloved television star Fred Rogers (played by Tom Hanks), debuted in third place with an estimated $13.5 million (about Sh1.4 billion).

Thriller "21 Bridges" opened at fourth, taking in an estimated $9.2 million (about Sh936.5 million). The new movie from STX Films stars Chadwick Boseman as an NYPD detective who shuts down all 21 of Manhattan's bridges to find two suspected cop killers.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

"Midway" ($4.7 million)

"Playing with Fire" ($4.6 million)

"The Good Liar" ($3.4 million)

"Charlie's Angels" ($3.2 million)

"Last Christmas" ($3.0 million)

"Joker" ($2.8 million)

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