"Beauty and the Beast" exploded overseas box office more than expected, and authentic live-action movies are more popular

If the adaptation is not too off track, it will often be possible to "kill all three generations". Middle-aged audiences will see their feelings and children will watch the fun. Family fun will always be the safest card.

Original title: Why is "Fairy Tale Reality Show" so popular?

The IMAX live-action movie "Beauty and the Beast", which was released simultaneously in China and the United States last Friday, was a hit at the box office across the board. North America won US$170 million in the box office in the first weekend, exceeding the US$166 million in the same period last year, setting a spring opening box office record in the North American market and ranking seventh in the first week of a single film in North American film history. The film's first weekend box office revenue in mainland China was 307 million yuan. As of press time yesterday, the cumulative box office was close to 360 million yuan. In terms of word of mouth, the freshness of rotten tomatoes was 71%, MetaCritic gave 65 points, and Douban scored 7.5 points. The latest version of "Beauty and the Beast" has almost no innovative adaptations, but this does not prevent it from making a lot of money, even far exceeding Disney's expectations. Next, Disney's live-action movies adapted from fairy tales will be released one after another. The question arises, why are "fairy tale reality shows" so popular?

Box office explosion exceeded expectations

According to data from the North American box office statistics website boxofficemojo.com, the pre-sales results of "Beauty and the Beast" were very strong. Last Thursday's screenings in North America scored US$16.3 million, setting the strongest midnight performance record for Disney's live-action movie; On March 17, the first day of its opening in North America, it earned US$63.78 million, making it the third place in North American film history; the film's first weekend box office score in North America won US$170 million, making it the seventh highest in the first week of a single film in North American film history. Dave Hollis, distribution director for "Beauty and the Beast", said the film's performance exceeded their best expectations.

According to real-time box office data from Cat's Eye, the box office of "Beauty and the Beast" on its first day of release in China was 85.29 million yuan, and the cumulative box office in three days of release was 307 million yuan. The film's screening rate yesterday remained above 40%, and there is still room for further box office growth.

As a live-action musical and musical film adapted from a classic fairy tale,"Beauty and the Beast" performed well in mainland China. You know, both a live-action movie adapted from fairy tales,"Sleeping Curse" released in June 2014 had a total box office of less than 300 million yuan in the mainland."Cinderella" released in March 2015 had a box office of only 158 million yuan on the first weekend, with a cumulative box office of 442 million yuan;"Alice in Wonderland 2" released in May last year, with a box office of 177 million yuan in the first week, with a cumulative box office of 387 million yuan.

It

is actually not easy to shoot a live-action movie adapted from classic fairy tales based on visual shock and mediocrity. If you are too innovative, you may be criticized by the audience for "destroying classics." But if the adaptation is too conservative and easily criticized by the audience for no progress.

The latest version of "Beauty and the Beast" also faces this problem. Although the visual effects are very shocking, many viewers still believe that it is too loyal to the 1991 Disney animated film and has no breakthroughs except for visual effects. Netizen "Brick Man" said: "It's a very mediocre remake. Perhaps the animated version is too classic, which caused Disney to be tied up and do nothing in this adaptation. The tribute to the animated version is indeed restored, but it cannot hide the emptiness and boredom of the story. After all, fairy tales are household names, and it is difficult to please young audiences without new ideas." Of course, some people like such adaptations that are loyal to the original work. Some viewers said: "This is the truth. Disney's live-action version movies will wake up the hearts of young girls once a year."

In the United States, the female audience of "Beauty and the Beast" accounts for 72%. Cat's Eye data also shows that in China, the female audience of the film accounts for 60.8%, which well explains why such a girl-hearted film can attract money crazily. However, judging from past data analysis, the excessive proportion of female audiences also raises the hidden concern of weak box office stamina. In North America, under the strong impact of "Beauty and the Beast","King Kong: Skull Island" suffered a heavy blow at the box office next weekend, ranking second in revenue of less than US$26 million, with a cumulative box office of only US$110 million. This Friday,"King Kong: Skull Island" will be released in theaters in China. Next, what PK will these two films have in the mainland is a suspense.

Original flavor is more popular.

Among the several live-action movies adapted from fairy tales produced by Disney that have been released, the "Alice in Wonderland" series and "Sleeping Curse" have made drastic adaptations of the original works, packaging the bizarre fairy tales in a dark style;"Cinderella" and "Beauty and the Beast" are highly restored and follow the sweet girly route.

In mainland China,"Alice in Wonderland" has a good reputation, with Douban score of 7,"Sleeping Curse" 6.9,"Alice in Wonderland 2" 6.6, and "Cinderella" 6.7. "Beauty and the Beast", which is currently being released, has the best reputation and is expected to become the best box office. Compared with the China elements that frequently appear in "Alice in Wonderland 2","Beauty and the Beast" is particularly "pure" and is an authentic Disney production. There have been too many examples in the past to prove that cultural differences between Chinese and American audiences have led to deviations in the evaluation of films. However, deliberate attempts to please China audiences often end up being "ungrateful to both sides." The popularity of "Beauty and the Beast" in China proves that authentic works are more popular.

Real-life movies revitalize classics

Judging from the historical box office, Disney's real-life adaptation of fairy tale movies, excluding production costs and publicity costs, the box office revenue is not too high. But Disney is still enjoying it, and there are more than a dozen "fairy tale reality shows" such as "Dumbo","Aladdin","Winnie the Pooh", and "Peter Pan" to appear next. These time-tested stories are familiar to and like by the audience. Coupled with the stars and actors, the movie is given "double insurance". If the adaptation is not too off track, it will often be possible to "kill all three generations". Middle-aged audiences will see their feelings and children will watch the fun. Family fun will always be the safest card.

Movie box office does not account for a high proportion of Disney's earnings report, but the business empire built by Disney, including various theme parks, derivatives, etc., relies on movies to deliver IP. The brand significance of live-action fairy tale movies to Disney far exceeds its box office value. One voice believes that the image of the princess in Disney Castle is too old for today's children. They may be able to recognize Mulan, mermaid, and Winnie the Pooh, but they are not clear about their stories. Remake in the form of a live-action movie is the best way to revitalize these old images. At the same time, Disney must have calculated the economic benefits behind the movie long ago. Anyway, the smart Disney will never make a loss-making business.

Editor: Nancy