Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Sets New Record for Advance Ticket Sales

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney's highly anticipated live-action reboot of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is now Fandango's No. 1 family film of all time as far as advance ticket sales. Pre-sales for the film, opening on March 17th, are currently the biggest for any family film in Fandango's 17-year history, beating out such blockbusters as Finding Dory.

The classic fairytale, starring Emma Watson, is expected to bring in over $120 million this weekend in North America, with some predicting earnings as high as $140 million. Fandango also reports that the Bill Condon-helmed film is beating out non-family titles such as Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Audiences are expected to be made up of toddlers, teens and adults, with 43% of ticket buyers expected to see the film with a date, significant other or friend, and 44% expected to be the more traditional family audience.

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Disney's highly anticipated live-action film is a live-action re-telling of the studio's animated classic which refashions the classic characters from the tale as old as time for a contemporary audience, staying true to the original music while updating the score with several new songs. "Beauty and the Beast" is the fantastic journey of Belle, a bright, beautiful and independent young woman who is taken prisoner by a beast in his castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle's enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the Beast's hideous exterior and realize the kind heart and soul of the true Prince within. The film stars: Emma Watson as Belle; Dan Stevens as the Beast; Luke Evans as Gaston, the handsome, but shallow villager who woos Belle; Oscar® winnerKevin Kline as Maurice, BELLE'S eccentric, but lovable father; Josh Gad as Lefou, Gaston's long-suffering aide-de-camp; Golden Globe® nominee Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, the candelabra; Oscar nominee Stanley Tucci as Maestro Cadenza, the harpsichord; Oscar nominee Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, the mantel clock; and two-time Academy Award® winner Emma Thompson as the teapot, Mrs. Potts.

Directed by Oscar winner Bill Condon based on the 1991 animated film, "Beauty and the Beast" is produced by Mandeville Films' David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman, with eight-time Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken, who won two Academy Awards® (Best Original Score and Best Song) for the 1991 animated film, providing the score, which will include new recordings of the original songs written by Menken and Howard Ashman, as well as several new songs written by Menken and three-time Oscar winnerTim Rice.

Image courtesy of Walt Disney