To say that the 2017 version of Beauty and The Beast is a hit is like saying Gaston's just a jerk. It's so much more than that. It's way bigger. As luck would have it, bigger is precisely the word that should describe the live-action remake, as it has outdone the 1991 original in another impressive way. As of five days into its theatrical release, director Bill Condon's version of the classic fairy tale has now outgrossed the animated version's entire box office run. Cue Lumiere and the dancing flatware!
The Wrap grabbed onto this fact, as the original Beauty and The Beast was clocked at $425 million, even after its 2002 IMAX re-release and the 2012 3D conversion ran their course. As of today's receipts, $428 million has been amassed by the modern retelling of Belle and The Beast's love affair, which is probably only the start of the film's climb towards what will probably end up being one of 2017's highest grossing finishes, when all is said and done. Though if you adjust for inflation, the finish line is still a little further in the distance.
Taking the total worldwide grosses for the original recipe of Beauty and The Beast, and assuming it represents the grosses in 2012 currency, we can see that about $451 million is the new high water mark for the 2017 version of the film to best. It's not that far off of a goal, especially considering the film took in around $18 million on a Tuesday in March. In fact, we'd even go as far as saying that this new benchmark will be hit by the weekend at the latest, if current trends continue. Just another candle lit in the candelabra that is this film's prospects, and the winning doesn't look like it'll stop any time soon.
With both Power Rangers and Life opening this weekend, there's a slim chance that Beauty and The Beast could get taken down a peg or two at the box office in the days to come. But considering the first weekend bested even the loftiest of expectations, anything's on the table. Right now, the only real question about Beauty and The Beast's prospects is whether it's going to cross the $1 billion mark that Alice In Wonderland managed to push past in 2010. It's way too early to predict whether or not that's a sure shot, but if there was ever a movie that'd be able to scale those heights, it'd be this one.
Beauty and The Beast is currently waltzing to victory in theaters all over. Take a look at what else is heading to theaters soon with our movies guide.
