Beast fends off rivals for second week

Beauty may be fleeting, but it’s got legs at the box office.

Beauty and the Beast, Walt Disney’s live-action remake of the animated classic, was the No 1 film in North American theatres for a secondstraight weekend, easily outdrawing new pictures including fresh versions of Power Rangers and CHiPs.

The Disney film, featuring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, generated weekend sales of US$88.3 million ($125m) in US and Canadian theatres, ComScore estimated yesterday. The studio was forecasting up to US$85m.

Power Rangers and CHiPs placed second and seventh, respectively, while new sci-fi Life landed in fourth.

In Beauty and the Beast, Watson stars as bookworm Belle. She falls in love with a prince, played by Stevens, who is cursed to live as a beast. The film has a 70 per cent favourable rating on Rottentomatoes.com, which boils critics’ reviews into a single score. The film set a record for a March opening last weekend with its US$174.8m domestic tally.

Lions Gate Entertainment’s Power Rangers took in US$40.5m on debut, beating the US$36m forecast at BoxOfficePro.com. It scored a 45 per cent rating at Rottentomatoes.com.

Life opened with sales of US$12.6m, less than the US$18m forecast at Box Office Mojo. Ryan Reynolds and Jake Gyllenhaal star as scientists who discover alien life that threatens Earth. It scored a 65 per cent rating on Rottentomatoes.com.

CHiPS opened with sales of US$7.6m. Based on a 1970s TV series about Highway Patrol officers, the film scored a 30 per cent rating on Rottentomatoes.com.