Disney's live-action movie directed by Bill Condon and starring Emma Watson topped the box office on its first weekend and posted the top domestic opening of all time for a PG-rated film.
- Mar 20, 2017
AceShowbiz - "Beauty and the Beast (2017)" has proven its magic at box office. Bill Condon's musical starring Emma Watson topped the box office in North America on its first weekend and posted the top domestic opening of all time for a PG-rated film by gaining $174.8 million. In addition, Disney's movie earned $180 million internationally, collecting huge cume in major markets such as China and United Kingdom.
Alongside "The Lion King", "Beauty and the Beast" is said to be the most beloved film in Disney canon. 2017's "Beauty and the Beast" live-action movie brings nostalgia for the audiences who were preadolescents when the classic animated version was released in 1991. Thus, theaters on weekend were packed with audiences from between the ages of 26 and 34 as well as new generation who mostly consisted of children under 12.
Watson's appeal is another reason moviegoers attending theaters to watch "Beauty and the Beast" live-action movie. Fans watched Watson's transformation from a young girl to a woman when she portrayed Hermione Granger in "Harry Potter" movie series and grew up with her. Not to mention the actress has a massive 24 million followers on Twitter, surpassing those of Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert Downey Jr..
The movie is also advantaged by Disney, which recently has dominated cinemas with "Star Wars" adventure and "The Avengers" sequels. "Disney just knows how to make these big blockbusters," said Jeff Bock, a box office analyst of Exhibitor Relations. "Most studios have four or five big hits and then they suffer a big miss. But they can do no wrong," he added.
Sitting at No. 2 at North American box office was "Kong: Skull Island", which gained $27.8 million on its second weekend. The last installment of the Wolverine movie series, "Logan", dropped to No. 3 by earning $17.8 million, while horror film "Get Out" sat on the fourth place with $13.4 million. Rounding out the top five was "The Shack", which gained $6 million on its third weekend in North America.
Top Ten Movies at Weekend Box Office for March 17-19:
