THR reports that early tracking of Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast remake starring Emma Watson indicates a massive opening for the movie’s US debut.
Tracking indicates a debut of $120M, while Disney insiders are reported to err on the side of $100M.
If Beauty and the Beast makes even the more modest figure in its US debut, it will be one of March’s top films. Its competition for the record books is Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice at $166.1 million, followed by The Hunger Games with $152.5 million and the Alice in Wonderland remake with $116.1 million. Next best is Oz the Great and Powerful with $79 million.
Watson considers Belle an excellent role model for young women and ensured that Belle remain an empowering figure for girls in a “collaborative” process with director Bill Condren.
“She remains curious, compassionate and open-minded. And that's the kind of woman I would want to embody as a role model, given the choice,” she stated in an interview with Total Film.
“There's this kind of outsider quality that Belle had, and the fact she had this really empowering defiance of what was expected of her. In a strange way, she challenges the status quo of the place she lives in, and I found that really inspiring. She manages to keep her integrity and have a completely independent point of view. She's not easily swayed by other people's perspective—not swayed by fear-mongering or scapegoating.”
Beauty and the Beast is a beloved part of Disney’s Renaissance period in the ‘80s and ‘90s, which produced classics like The Little Mermaid, Mulan, The Lion King, Aladdin, and Pocahontas . The little girls who grew up watching those movies are now buying tickets on their own behalf - and all evidence suggests that they will turn out in droves.
Will you be part of what is predicted to be a monster take for Disney’s live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast? Feel free to let us know in the comments section below.
