Between its original release in 1991 and its IMAX and 3D re-releases in 2002 and 2012, Disney’s animated classic “Beauty and the Beast” made $425 million in theaters worldwide. It just took five days for Bill Condon’s live-action/CGI remake to beat that total.
Over the past two days, the new “Beauty and the Beast” starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens added $71 million at the box office to its record $357 million opening weekend. That brings its total to $428 million and moves it past its predecessor’s all-time box office cume, with the $500 million global milestone expected to be reached by the end of the week.
The domestic total for “Beauty and the Beast” now stands at $219 million, making the film the fifth to pass the $200 million domestic mark in five days.
The other four films to do so were “The Dark Knight,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” and “Captain America: Civil War,” all of which were released between May and July.
Even if you adjust the animated film’s numbers for inflation and modern ticket prices, the remake is still well on pace to pass the original.
The 1991 animated hit’s $425 million total would adjust roughly to $760 million in 2017 dollars. “Beauty” is expected to easily hold on to the top box office spot this weekend despite several newcomers including “Power Rangers” and “Life,” and go on to top $1 billion in worldwide grosses.
It even has a chance of reaching the $1.27 billion made four years ago by “Frozen.”
“Beauty and the Beast” releases today in France and Belgium, with openings in Australia, Hungary and Israel tomorrow.