‘Frozen 2’ heats up box office with $127M opening weekend

NEW YORK – Six years after “Frozen” kicked up a pop-culture blizzard, the sequel to Elsa, Anna and Olaf’s adventures snowed-in the box office with an estimated $127 million debut domestically and $350.2 million worldwide, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The opening for the Walt Disney Co.’s “Frozen 2” buried several records. It’s the highest-grossing debut ever for any animated film globally. It marks a new high in the U.S. and Canada for an animated movie released outside of the summer season. And it’s the largest opening for any Walt Disney Animation Studios release.

Last week’s top film, “Ford v Ferrari,” slipped 49% in its second week to a distant second with $16 million. Starring Christian Bale and Matt Damon, the movie has also joined this season’s sped-up Oscar race.

Marielle Heller’s Mister Rogers drama “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” starring Tom Hanks and Matthew Rhys, opened in third with $13.5 million.