The answer was an estimated $170 million in North America, making "Beauty" the seventh biggest debut in history, the biggest March opening ever, and the biggest premiere ever for a PG-rated film. It's also the biggest opening weekend for any of Disney's recent wave of live-action remakes of its catalogue of animated classics.
The film's opening weekend was slightly higher than most predicted, and, despite good-but-not-great reviews (71 percent "Fresh" at Rotten Tomatoes), high expectations from fans of the original 1991 film, a star (Emma Watson) who remained unproven outside of the "Harry Potter" franchise, "Beast" managed to net $350 million worldwide over its first weekend. Here's how the tale as old as time pulled it off:
Plus, for years, Disney used the musical's "Be Our Guest" as a tourist jingle. So "Beauty" wasn't just a fondly-but-dimly-remembered film from the distant past; rather, it's been both ubiquitous and popular for more than 25 years straight.
Talking to Moviefone, Disney's Executive Vice President for Theatrical Distribution, Dave Hollis, cited nostalgia first among "Beauty's" strengths. He said the company found the 25-year interval since the first film to be the "perfect distance" to capitalize on the affection for the film held by viewers who were kids in 1991. Now, he said, those viewers are "parents bringing their children into theaters for the same kind of experience."
It's a trend that started with Disney's live-action update of "Alice in Wonderland" seven years ago, a film whose $116 million opening proved once and for all that you could open a blockbuster in March as easily as in May or June. Indeed, instead of releasing "Beauty" on staggered dates throughout the world, Disney put out the film on the same day in all but three major world markets (Australia, France, and Japan), allowing the movie to take advantage of spring break in the U.S. and similar springtime holidays around the globe. As a result, "Beauty" enjoyed similar record-breaking openings in many countries and grossed an estimated $180 million overseas.
The current March may be the most crowded one yet, with at least one new potential blockbuster every weekend, including "Kong" and "Logan." And yet, there seems to be room for everyone so far, with these hit films driving interest in theatrical moviegoing that has benefitted just about every wide release this month. "The market always expands for quality film," Hollis said. He acknowledged how thick with major releases March has become, but he said the month is "still unbelievably less crowded than the summer."
Some 37 percent of sales went to premium formats, including 26 percent to 3D, eight percent to IMAX (2D and 3D), and 11 percent to other premium large format screens (2D and 3D). Those are large numbers for the high-end tickets, which usually account for 25 percent or less of a 3D movie's opening weekend. In fact, it's the biggest IMAX debut ever for a PG-rated movie, both domestically and worldwide. Hollis says the marketing played up the visuals, partly in order to broaden the film's appeal beyond families. "It's part of how we're positioning the film to general audiences," he said.
Director Bill Condon's remarks about giving LeFou an "exclusively gay moment" at the end of the film had some prominent Evangelical activists up in arms and threatening boycotts of "Beauty" and Disney in general, and one Alabama theater made headlines for refusing to book the film. Nonetheless, advance-sales site Fandango called "Beauty" the fastest-selling family film in its history. Disney reported that families bought 50 percent of the tickets and that 35 percent of tickets went to kids 16 and under.
Asked whether the studio had any concerns about the possible impact of the religion-motivated backlash at the box office, Hollis declined to comment. Still, the movie's $170 million take speaks for itself.
