A roaring hit! Beauty And The Beast smashes U.S. weekend box office records with staggering $170m debut
- Evangelist Franklin Graham called for the boycott of Beauty And The Beast
- Graham doesn't like that the movie features a gay character - a first for Disney
- LeFou, the goofy sidekick to main villain Gaston, comes to terms with being gay
Beauty And The Beast, the studio's latest live action update of a cartoon classic, waltzed its way to a staggering $170 million debut this weekend, setting a new record for a March opening.
It's also the seventh largest opening of all time, according to Box Office Mojo.
Even so, outspoken evangelist Franklin Graham called for the boycott of Beauty And The Beast over the inclusion of a gay character - a first for Disney.
Box office blockbuster: Beauty And The Beast waltzed its way to a staggering $170 million local debut this weekend, setting a new record for a March, and a global take of $350 million
Evangelist Franklin Graham (above) wants people to boycott the movie over a gay character
LeFou (above) as seen in the 1991 animated version of the Disney movie Beauty And The Beast
LeFou, the goofy sidekick to main villain Gaston, comes to terms with his sexuality in 'a nice, exclusively gay moment', Beauty And The Beast director Bill Condon told Attitude.
'They’re trying to push the LGBT agenda into the hearts and minds of your children - watch out!' Graham wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday, that has since been shared nearly 90,000 times.
'I hope Christians everywhere will say no to Disney,' said Graham, asking supporters to let Disney know their feelings about the movie.
The owners of the Henagar Drive-In Theatre in Henagar, Alabama, announced their decision to boycott Beauty And The Beast in a Facebook post on Thursday.
Describing themselves as Christian, the owners said: 'We will not compromise on what the Bible teaches.'
Reactions to Beauty And The Beast have been mostly positive, with viewers praising Disney for its decision to include a gay character.
The romantic tale of Belle freeing the Beast from a curse, starring Harry Potter's Emma Watson and Downton Abbey's Dan Stevens, also grabbed $180 million overseas for a crushing global haul of $350 million.
It carries a hefty $160 million budget but it has already recouped that and looks likely to earn far more as its run continues.
With Beauty dominating ticket sales, last weekend's champ, Kong: Skull Island, lagged far behind with $28.8 million for second place.
The monster ape movie's domestic haul now stands at a not inconsiderable $110.1 million and $259 million worldwide.
Raging ape: Kong: Skull Island lagged far behind Beauty And The Beast with $28.8 million for second place in its second weekend. Its global haul now stands at $259 million
The blockbuster, starring Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson and Samuel Jackson, cost $25 million more to make than Beauty at $185 million.
Logan, starring Hugh Jackman reprising his role as Wolverine for what he says is the final time, slashed its way into third place, pulling in $17.5 million and bringing the R-rated superhero tale's stateside total to $184 million.
With a worldwide cache of just over $524 million, the latest entry in the X-Men franchise has more than recouped its $97 million budget
R-rated hit: Logan, starring Hugh Jackman reprising his role as Wolverine for what he says is the final time, slashed its way into third, pulling in $17.5 million for a total $184 million stateside
Coming in fourth: Jordan Peele's Get Out, made for just $4.5 million, continued to be a box office surprise, nabbing $13.2 million and raising its take to $133.1 million
Jordan Peele's low-budget Get Out, made for just $4.5 million, continued to be a box office surprise.
It nabbed $13.2 million for fourth place, bringing its stateside take to a stunning $133.1 million for fourth place
The thriller stars Daniel Kaluuya as a black man whose white girlfriend's family hides a sinister secret
The Shack rounded out the top five generating $6.1 million, pushing earnings for the faith-based romantic drama, starring Sam Worthington and Octavia Spencer, to over $42.6 million.
Fishy tale: The Shack rounded out the top five generating $6.1 million, pushing earnings for the faith-based romantic drama, starring Sam Worthington and Octavia Spencer, to $42.6 million
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