Beauty and the Beast Beats Batman v Superman Opening

Earning a record $170 million.

By Alex Osborn

Beauty and the Beast opened in first place at the domestic box office, earning an estimated $170 million this weekend.

As noted by Box Office Mojo, Disney's live-action film surpassed Batman v Superman's $166 million record to have the highest opening weekend ever for a March film debut. Beauty and the Beast's debut is also the seventh largest ever, right behind Iron Man 3's $174.1 million opening haul and narrowly eclipsing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow's - Part 2's $169.1 million figure. It also had the largest opening for a PG-rated movie, passing prior record holder Finding Dory's $135 million debut.

The Bill Condon-directed film, starring Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as Beast, earned $180 million internationally, making for an estimated worldwide total of $350 million, which is the fourteenth highest ever.

This weekend also brought with it the release of The Belko Experiment. The new thriller from director Greg McLean placed seventh with $4.1 million.

Meanwhile, last week's leader, Kong: Skull Island, slipped to second at the domestic box office, earning $28.9 million. Logan moved to third with $17.5 million, making for a domestic total that currently stands at $185 million. Rounding out the top five was Get Out and The Shack, which earned $13.2 million and and $6.1 million, respectively.

Here are the top 10 weekend box office three-day estimates via comScore:

1. Beauty and the Beast $170 million

2. Kong: Skull Island $28.9 million

3. Logan $17.5 million

4. Get Out $13.2 million

5. The Shack $6.1 million

6. The LEGO Batman Movie $4.7 million

7. The Belko Experiment $4.1 million

8. Hidden Figures  $1.5 million

9. John Wick: Chapter Two $1.2 million

10. Before I Fall $1 million

Alex Osborn is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter and subscribe to his YouTube channel.

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