Idina Menzel Says She Is Missing Out on Money From 'Frozen'

Newsweek

01-05-2025

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Idina Menzel said she's missing out on money from Disney's Frozen franchise in a recent interview.
The Context
The actress and singer, 53, starred as Elsa in 2013's Frozen and 2019's Frozen II, with both films earning over a billion dollars at the box office.
According to box office revenue tracker Box Office Mojo, the original animated film raked in more than $1,300,000,000 worldwide, while its sequel surpassed the first with over $1,450,000 worldwide.
Idina Menzel attends a "Frozen 2" fan event held in Toronto on November 4, 2019.
Idina Menzel attends a "Frozen 2" fan event held in Toronto on November 4, 2019.for Disney Studios
What To Know
During an appearance on SiriusXM's Andy Cohen Live on Tuesday to promote her Broadway show Redwood, the Wicked star spoke out about Frozen royalties.
"I mean, I make royalties on the music and on the movie and all that stuff, but one royalty that would be really—I can't believe I'm saying this. I'm gonna get, like, fired. It would be nice to make a dollar off every Elsa, and I know Kristen Bell would say the same thing, every dress during Halloween," Menzel said, referring to her Frozen costar, who played her sister Anna in the movie. "I would just take Halloween day."
Newsweek reached out to Bell's representative via email for comment.
"Yes, yes. Wow," host Andy Cohen, 56, responded. "Just the 24 hours leading up to Halloween, you take."
"It's not even the money," she clarified. "It's more the idea that it's just, you know, that there's like billions of these out there."
What People Are Saying
Menzel previously spoke out about money while appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in 2022. The New York native, who shares son Walker Nathaniel with ex-husband Taye Diggs, said that Frozen 3 would be financially beneficial.
"Yeah, I'd love it because I'd like to pay my son's college," she told Fallon.
Bell, meanwhile, addressed the topic in a 2019 interview with Money. The Nobody Wants This star shares two daughters—Lincoln and Delta—with her actor husband, Dax Shepard and said she tried to teach them its value.
"When they use a whole shampoo bottle in the bathtub, I do, very bluntly, explain to them, 'Mommy bought that shampoo bottle. You hate it when Mommy works late, right? Well, if we waste a ton of stuff in the house, then I have to work more hours to make more money to buy more of that stuff,'" she said at the time. "That may sound harsh, but it's true, and I want them to understand that."
Shepard, who was with her in the joint interview, added details about her finances.
"What's interesting about Kristen is she knows her value and her worth, and she will fight for it in contract negotiations, but once that happens she'll never think again about that money. She likes to give away most of her money, so I have to make sure we are making decisions that allow her to [do that] and still [be] building something for when we stop working."
What Happens Next
Frozen 3 is set to hit theaters on November 24, 2027.
Andy Cohen Live airs Monday through Friday at 10 a.m. ET on Radio Andy (Channel 102) and anytime on the SiriusXM app.