Emma Watson leads the cast of "Beauty and the Beast" live action animation from Disney. (Photo : Getty Images/ Kevin Winter)
Racing to become one of the highest-grossing, blockbuster hit on romantic films in 2017 are two buzzed-about titles: "Fifty Shades Darker" and "Beauty and the Beast." The two films show completely different love stories set in different periods. Which of the two will reign at the box office?
When "Fifty Shades Darker" released its first official trailer, it generated buzz so huge that it toppled "Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens" in terms of having the highest-performing movie trailer of all time. The "Fifty Shades Darker" trailer was watched 114 million times within the first 24 hours of its release. The title was previously held by "The Force Awakens," which saw more than 112 million viewers for its trailer.
Unfortunately for the "Fifty Shades of Grey" sequel, it has been dethroned by the trailer of the live-action adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast," the classic fairytale which stars Dan Stevens and Emma Watson in leading roles. "Beauty and the Beast" trumped "Fifty Shades" with 127.6 million views on its first day online, E! News reported.
Watson is said to be one of the driving force of the trailer's early success. The actress' official page accounted for 27 million of those views. In an interview with EW, the Harry Potter alum talked about her character, Belle, as a role model.
"There was something about her indignation and rebelliousness which I really loved, to be honest," she reveals. "It troubles her that she doesn't necessarily fit in, but I think she really holds close to her heart her dreams and her aspirations. She was definitely a role model."
The role of Belle has been changed a bit in the movie. In the Disney animated movie, Belle is portrayed as a bookworm, although nothing is said about her occupation. In the movie, Belle is an inventor who is also a very efficient horse-rider.
"Beauty and the Beast" live-action movie also stars Kevin Kline, Luke Evans, Ian McKellan, Stanley Tucci, Ewan McGregor, Audra McDonald and Josh Gad.
"Beauty and the Beast's" release date is on March 17, 2017.
