Beauty and the Beast sets March record and debuts globally to $350 million
Walt Disney Pictures‘ Beauty and the Beast grossed a dazzling $170 million domestically for the seventh-biggest debut of all-time, the #1 March debut ever (beating Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice‘s $166 million), and the #1 PG movie debut of all time. It’s also the highest domestic debut ever for a Disney live-action title and the seventh Walt Disney Studios release to open over $150 million. Made for $160 million without counting marketing expenses, the film received an A CinemaScore from audiences.
With an estimated $180 million internationally, the global opening reached estimated $350 million for the #2 March debut of all-time both globally and internationally. Beauty and the Beast opened as the #1 film in virtually all markets. It enchanted UK audiences to become highest-grossing three-day opening weekend of all-time for a PG movie with $22.8 million, while China opened to an estimated $44.8 million, making it the biggest ever Disney live-action opening weekend of all-time and representing a strong 67% market share. The film has yet to open in France, Australia, and Japan.
IMAX had a fairy tale weekend at the box office as Beauty and the Beast waltzed its way to a record-setting $21 million on 1,026 IMAX screens worldwide in 56 markets, including $12.5 million on 377 North American IMAX screens and $8.5 million from 649 IMAX screens internationally. Domestically, IMAX represented seven of the film’s top 10 locations. In China, the film grossed $3.4 million on 386 screens.
The Beauty and the Beast results from key international markets:
China $44.8M
UK $22.8M
Korea $11.9M
Mexico $11.6M
Germany $10.7M
Brazil $10.4M
Italy $7.6M
Russia $6.0M
Philippines $5.9M
Spain $5.8M
Hong Kong $3.2M
Indonesia $3.2M
Directed by Bill Condon, Beauty and the Beast stars Emma Watson as Belle, Dan Stevens as the Beast, Luke Evans as Gaston, Kevin Kline as Maurice, Josh Gad as Lefou, Ewan McGregor as Lumière, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette, Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, Stanley Tucci as Cadenza, Audra McDonald as Garderobe, and Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts.
More box office estimates to come…