Beauty And The Beast has cast a spell over the North American box office for a second week in a row.
The live-action remake of the Disney classic hauled in $88 million to secure the number one spot in America over the weekend (25-26Mar17), while the movie’s global total now sits at $690.3 million, becoming the fourth straight Disney film to pass the $600 million mark, following Doctor Strange, Moana, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
The film, which stars Emma Watson and Dan Stevens as the title characters, has held strong despite controversy over Josh Gad’s gay character LeFou. The movie was hit with opposition in Malaysia after officials at the country’s Film Censorship Board demanded one scene be cut. However, Disney bosses asked authorities in the Asian nation, where homosexuality is discouraged by religious leaders, to review their decision, and their appeal was granted.
Beauty and the Beast has also fallen foul of authorities in Russia, where it has received a 16+ rating, and in Kuwait, where an unedited version of the film was pulled just days after opening in cinemas.
Meanwhile, the big screen adaptation of Power Rangers, starring Becky G, Bryan Cranston and Elizabeth Banks, comes in second with $40.5 million (£32.5 million), beating expectations of $35 million. The film made history when it was revealed singer Becky G’s Yellow Power Ranger character Trini is the first LGBTQ superhero in a movie franchise
Kong: Skull Island is number three with $14.4 million, while Ryan Reynold’s and Jake Gyllenhaal’s Life takes the fourth spot with $12.6 million. Logan closes out the new top five with $10 million.
