The highly anticipated remake of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast has been receiving mixed reviews since its release.
The highly anticipated remake of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast has been receiving mixed reviews since its release. On one side, there are some who contest that the film is flawless while others argue that Emma Watson has delivered a “joyless” performance.
Regardless of what critics say, it seems as though they have no impact on cinema-goers who have helped make Beauty and the Beast one of the biggest blockbusters of 2017 so far. CNN reports that the film has raked in a total of $357 million on its opening weekend, breaking the record for the biggest box office opening in March. The record had been previously held by last year’s opening of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
“Beauty and the Beast is the latest example of Disney’s perfectly executed strategy of going to their animation vaults, dusting off a classic and reinventing it as a modern live-action movie,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at comScore (SCOR). The film’s PG rating, mid-March release, casting, and mix of both new and classic songs helped lead to the film’s big opening, Degarabedian said.
What must be kept into consideration is that the film’s production had a steep budget of $160 million, which has been recovered at the box office already.
