Just over a year ago, Frozen hit theaters and, in an era when movies are lucky to top the box office for more than a week, the film is still a major force in pop culture. It’s a testament to Disney’s power as a media conglomerate. After all, this is a company that makes sure we don’t forget animated movies from the ‘40s and ‘50s.
Frozen was released back on Nov. 22, 2013 and finished its amazing box office run with $400.7 million domestically. Amazingly, the film more than doubled that overseas, grossing $873.5 million from foreign territories. Overall, the film made $1.27 billion dollars, besting Toy Story 3 as the top-grossing animated film of all time (that’s if you don’t consider Avatar an animated film).
With 365 days of little kids singing “Let It Go” under their belt (and two Oscars), Disney has continued to milk that cash cow. It’s almost like they forgot that they had another film hitting theaters this November, Big Hero 6.
Disney Consumer Products said earlier this month that 3 million Frozen costumes were sold during the year, leading up to Halloween. Now, a study shows that Elsa and Ana dolls have surpassed Barbie as the most popular girls’ toy of the year.
The study, performed by the National Retail Federation, found that one in five parents are planning to buy their girls some piece of Frozen merchandise. Only 16.8 percent said that they would buy their girls a Barbie doll, ending the doll’s 11-year reign at the top.
Disney has turned Frozen into a machine, but it hasn’t been as successful with big Hero 6 just yet. Baymax, the loveable robot in the film, still has a while to go before he becomes Elsa-level popular. In fact, Disney hasn’t been able to push March action figures up the list of top holiday toys for boys. Marvel figures tied for 10th place with tablets on that list. (The No. 1 choice for boys is still LEGOs.)
Expect Frozen dolls to be at the top again next year. Disney has put the characters everywhere, from the theme parks to Once Upon A Time. If you don’t like “Let It Go,” you’ll have a hard time avoiding it.