A tale as old as time is still making waves today with Disney’s new live-action Beauty and the Beast looking to sweep the box office. Starring Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as the Beast, this musical adventure will have audiences singing to the tune of a predicted $120 million opening weekend.
The trailers for the film have given fans stinging nostalgia after a strong sense of familiarity eeked out of every frame. The filmmakers resisted the temptation to go away from the 1991 animated classic, resulting in trailers being cut almost identically to the originals, and with costumes and camera work following close behind. In its first 24 hours, the teaser trailer received 91.8 million views, which broke records for the number of views seen in that amount of time in history. With numbers like that, it's safe to say that people are excited to see this film.
The remake opens later this month, and from fan response, it’s no surprise it is already breaking records. Tickets presales are soaring according to Fandango, and Beauty and the Beast is tracking as the fastest-selling family film in history, surpassing the previous record which was held by Finding Dory. Fandango managing editor Erik Davis told EW:
“Beauty is a beast in presales, and I think it’s going to surprise a lot of people. It’s looking bigger than most Disney live-action adaptations, like The Jungle Book, Cinderella, or Maleficent. Its presales rival those of a superhero movie.”
The film, however, is not without controversy. Disney recently announced that LeFou (Josh Gad) is in fact a gay character, and Emma Watson has come under fire regarding a photo in a recent Vanity Fair editorial. Though one theater in Alabama has removed the film from its lineup due to the dust-up over LeFou, it does not look like other American theaters have followed suit. With the presales exploding, it doesn’t seem like these hot topics are preventing Disney from ultimate success.
Beauty and the Beast is directed by Bill Condon (The Twilight Saga) and is originally adapted from Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont's fairy tale first published in 1756. So, the tale really is as old as time. The cast is made up of audience-favorite actors including Luke Evans as Gaston, Kevin Kline as Maurice, Ewan McGregor as Lumière, Stanley Tucci as Maestro Cadenza, Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, and Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts to name a few. With a cast full of heavy hitters and an experience that invites parents to pass down their own memories to their kids, Beauty and the Beast looks like it is going to be another hit.
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Source: EW
