‘Beauty and the Beast’.
New releases dominated the box office last weekend, but the standout was easily Disney’s Beauty and The Beast.
The live-action remake of the 1991 animation all but crushed its competition, taking $13.1 million. The Emma Watson-starrer earned a whopping $18,619 average from 706 screens. With previews, it has taken $14.9 million overall.
In second place was The Boss Baby, debuting on $2.7 million from 259 screens; a $10,592 average. With previews, the Fox/Dreamworks title – which sees Alec Baldwin voice a baby executive – has made $5.3 million.
Sony’s sci-fi horror Life debuted in third on $1.5 million, while Roadshow’s Power Rangers opened just behind on $1.3 million. However, Power Rangers had the better screen average – $5,811 to Life’s $5,078.
Last week’s number one, Kong: Skull Island, was pushed down to fifth position with takings of $1.1 million – a fall of 65 per cent. The Warner Bros. title has grossed $11.4 million over three weeks.
Close behind was Fox’s Logan, which earned just under $1.1 million. Now in its fourth week of release, it has a cume of $21.4 million.
Now in its sixth week, fellow Fox title Hidden Figures took $410,429 to bring its total to $16.2 million.
eOne’s Peppa Pig My First Cinema Experience: Peppa’s Australian Holiday, in its second week of release, took $307,655. The children’s film has made $1.7 million so far.
Aussie films round out the top 10: Transmission’s Lion, now in its tenth week, took $169,765 to bring its cume to just under $29 million, while Madman’s Jasper Jones made $122,153 for a total of $2.3 million after four weeks.