Beauty & The Beast Debuts BIG On Opening NIght

03/17/2017 03:02 pm EDT

Disney fans have high expectations for the live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast, and it seems fans are flocking to theaters to see if it delivers. So much so that several records will be crushed in the process.

Beauty and the Beast opened in preview screenings last night (via THR), and brought in $16.3 million in domestic box office. That lofty number earns the flick the top spot for biggest preview numbers of the year, as well as the biggest for any Disney live-action film. It's also the second biggest preview ever for a PG rated project, and third biggest when it comes to the month of March. Not bad for its first day.

Beauty and the Beast (which currently holds a 71.00 on ComicBook.com's Composite Ranking) is on pace for a $120 million opening weekend stateside, and the pace has also been set at over $100 million overseas thanks to a preview night debut of 11.5 million. That will surpass the $116.1 million of Alice in Wonderland, the $103 million from The Jungle Book, and the 67.8 million of Cinderella. It seems things are certainly trending upward, but it also speaks to how popular the original animated film is with Disney fans.

MORE: Beauty And The Beast Review: The Disney Magic Is Alive And Well

Also opening up in theaters this weekend is The Belko Experiment, which earned $305 thousand in previews and is on pace for a $4 million opening weekend. The film was made for $5 million.

You can view the official synopsis for Beauty and the Beast below.

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.

Beauty and the Beast stars Emma Watson as Belle; Dan Stevens as the Beast; Luke Evans as Gaston, the handsome, but shallow villager who woos Belle; Oscar winner Kevin Kline as Maurice, Belles 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; Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette, the feather duster; six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald as Madame Garderobe, the wardrobe; Oscar nominee Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, the mantel clock; and two-time Academy Award winner Emma Thompson as the teapot, Mrs. Potts

Beauty and the Beast will be released in U.S. theaters on March 17, 2017.

MORE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: Weekly Movie Guide / Co-Star Wants To Voice Another Disney Villain / Dan Stevens Discusses Finding The Man In The Beast

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