The fact thatBeauty and the Beasthas already essentially secured its place in the top spot at the weekend box office should not come as a surprise. First of all, competition is down with the mediocreKong: Skull Islandtaking a major hit in its second frame andLoganentering its third. Second of all, its Disney, and if its anything they know how to do, its how to market a movie to the point that an impressive weekend toll is all but certain. Their last release was a little movie calledRogue Oneand that ended 2016 on a major box office high point.
So, withBeauty and the Beasttaking in some $64 million by the end of Friday and looking at a possible $160-170 million weekend, Disney is right at home once again. Mind you, most predictions had this baby coming in at $120 million for the weekend, a number that would have more than secured bragging rights for Disney’s honchos. A $160-170 million weekend would putBeauty and the Beastin the same blockbuster bracket asRogue One, which is not an easy feat, and would easily best the opening weekend takes of other live-action remakes likeThe Jungle BookandDavid Lowery’s woefully undervaluedPete’s Dragon.
In comparison to what looks to be Disney/Buena Vista’s juggernaut, the other big titles that have been dominating the last few frames have shrunk noticeably.Kong: Skull Islandadded some $7.3 million to its admirable opening weekend debut in the previous frame andLogan, the best X-Men movie to date, took in $4.6 million in its third frame. As for other openers, theJames Gunn-produced catastrophe known asThe Belko Experiment, an empty theater of cruelty with a tinny sense of timeliness, is proving that, despite the success ofSplitandGet Out, Blumouse can make a major slip-up, as the movie is projected to come in with some $4 million by Monday morning. Of course,Belkocost $5 million to make and if it can secure a solid VOD audience, it could easily end up making its money back. As forBeauty and the Beast, if it does hit $160 million, that would take care of its production budget and a strong second weekend would knock out its marketing costs. Either way, the House of Mouse will continue its reign.
