New York (Web Desk): Beauty and the Beast, the studio's latest live action update of a cartoon classic, waltzed its way to a towering $170 million debut this weekend, setting a new record for a March opening and solidifying the Mouse House's status as the dominant player in the film business. No other company can match the streak that Disney is currently enjoying, thanks to a series of multi-billion acquisitions that put the likes of Pixar, Marvel, and LucasFilm in its Magic Kingdom.
Beauty and the Beast represents another part of Disney's branded strategy. It's the latest fairy tale adaptation to hit screens. Others in the lucrative group include Alice in Wonderland, which picked up $1 billion worldwide, Cinderella with its $543.5 million global haul, and last year's The Jungle Book, which racked up a mighty $966.6 million after finishing its run. Remakes of Dumbo and Mulan are already in the works, as Disney commits to putting a live action spin on the bulk of its animated properties (Fans of Treasure Planet may be out of luck).
