The voice cast for Frozen will soon be returning to the studio, and it looks like they are being well-compensated for their efforts. According to a report by The Wrap, Kristen Bell (Anna), Idina Menzel (Elsa), and Josh Gad (Olaf) will be getting $60 million each for Frozen 3 and 4.
As per the outlet, the $60 million paychecks include upfront fees and back-end bonus payments. An insider close to the deal told The Wrap that $60 million is not a lump sum and that the actors would receive payments over the years, taking into consideration each film’s production and performance.
Talent usually gets paid an upfront sum, and in this case, the actors will be getting $20 million. The bonuses depend on the film’s financial success. Regardless, the Frozen salaries are one of the biggest deals in animation history. The actors made $15 million each for Frozen 2.
Of course, the franchise has been successful since day one. Elsa, Anna, and Olaf are some of the best characters to have graced Disney in recent years. Keeping their influence in mind, do you think Bell, Menzel, and Gad deserve every penny of that paycheck?
How Profitable Have the Frozen Movies Been?
Both Frozen and its sequel were made on a production budget of $150 million, and both crossed the billion-dollar mark at the box office. As per The Numbers:
Frozen finished its theatrical run as the highest-grossing film of the year (2013), beating Iron Man 3 and Despicable Me 2. It is currently the sixth-highest-grossing animated film overall, with the sequel taking over the fourth spot.
As per Deadline, the film delivered a $400 million profit to Disney. A few years later, the outlet reported that the icy sequel made a profit $599 million, almost $600 million. It’s no wonder the studio wants to go all out to keep its main trio happy.
However, with the surge of sequels and the audience’s loss of interest, can the upcoming sequels surpass their predecessors in terms of both performance and profits? We will have to wait and find out.
All We Know About the Upcoming Frozen 3 and 4
It probably didn’t come as a shocker when Bob Iger announced Frozen 3 back in 2023. Given the love the franchise has received and its box office performance, it was only a matter of time before the sisterly duo came back on screen.
So far, there isn’t much to say about the sequels, except that we can expect the four major voice actors to return – Bell, Menzel, Gad, and Kristoff’s Jonathan Groff.
Jennifer Lee, who has directed both films so far, sparked concerns about her return when she sat down for an interview with The Wrap in 2023, where she said. “I can’t say where we are. All our stories are driven by the artists in the studio. Where we’re going with ‘Frozen’ did not come from me, it came from an incredible person.“
However, in September 2024, Lee confirmed that she would be stepping down as the chief creative officer of the Walt Disney Animation Studios to return to filmmaking. Fans can finally rest assured that the sequel is in good hands. Lee will direct and write Frozen 3 and will also write and executive produce the next installment.
Oscar-winning spouses, Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, will return for the sequel. They penned all the songs in the first two films.
While we do not know anything about the plot, an email from Lee to her staff revealed that the two films will tell an overarching story. Obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, she said in the email,
I will be returning to filmmaking full time writing and directing with Marc Smith…As a studio, we are fairly new to musical sequels, and this will be our first story told over two films at once. I’m excited for the challenge and so grateful for this opportunity to return to filmmaking, and can think of no better way to do so than with our Frozen family.
While it seemed that the third film would be released in 2026, the release date was later announced as November 24, 2027. Are you excited to see Elsa and Anna back in action? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
Stream the Frozen films on Disney+.
