Walt Disney Pictures’ live-action take on the tale as old as time enjoyed a huge opening at the worldwide box office this past weekend, and now in less than a week on screens the Emma Watson and Dan Stevens-headlined Beauty and the Beast has already surpassed the total haul of its 1991 animated predecessor.
The live-action movie has grossed $462 million so far, compared to the $425 million of the animated classic; $1 billion looks to be assured, and some analysts are even predicting that its total haul could reach as high as $1.5 billion.
Meanwhile, in the wake of its success, Disney exec Sean Bailey has revealed to Deadline that – unlike Alice in Wonderland, The Jungle Book and Maleficent – the studio is ruling out a sequel to the film, however “it will explore possible spinoff and prequel scenarios.”
Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” is a live-action re-telling of the studio’s animated classic which refashions the classic characters from the tale as old as time for a contemporary audience, staying true to the original music while updating the score with several new songs. “Beauty and the Beast” is the fantastic journey of Belle, a bright, beautiful and independent young woman who is taken prisoner by a beast in his castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle’s enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the Beast’s hideous exterior and realize the kind heart and soul of the true Prince within.
Beauty and the Beast is directed by Bill Condon and sees Emma Watson as Belle alongside Dan Stevens as Beast, while the cast also includes Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts, Luke Evans as Gaston, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette, Stanley Tucci as Cadenza, Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, Kevin Kline as Maurice, Josh Gad as Le Fou and Audra McDonald as Garderobe.
