Disney's marketing machine has succeeded again at breaking box-office records. Their live-action version of "Beauty and the Beast" made an astounding $64 million on Friday. It is headed towards a $170 million weekend.
If you didn't read my thoughts, here's an excerpt from my 2.5 star review posted a few weeks ago:
"I had somewhat strong hopes for Bill Condon's live-action adapation of "Beauty and the Beast," but those hopes were drowned somewhere near the start of this expansive, but middling film. The songs are, as always great, but, let's get real here folks, this is practically a shot for shot remake of the 1991 classic. Albeit with a few new tunes added into the second half, but this is a predictable yarn of a film that just doesn't give us anything new or fresh."
"It actually made me appreciate even moreso last year's much more succesful rehash of "The Jungle Book," no thanks to the visual prowess of its director Jon Favreau. Nostaligiasts will no doubt eat up Condon's film, but there's someting almost too cold and calculated about the whole proceedings. I will say that the film does pick up and try new things in its second half, which ends up being much more succesful than the first hour. Emma Watson is great, isn't she always, and the rest of the cast is delivers, especially Luke Evans as Gaston who brings out all the machismo related to the character in effective ways."
[Box Office Mojo]