It took a tale as old as time to beat the record set by Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
The first teaser trailer for Walt Disney Pictures’ live-action Beauty and the Beast was viewed more than 91.8 million times in the first 24 hours after it debuted, breaking the record set by the first teaser for Star Wars: The Force Awakens last year. The latter teaser was viewed 88 million times in its first 24 hours online.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the record book for teaser trailers is dominated by Disney productions, with Beauty and the Beast now topping the debut teaser for The Force Awakens, as well as the first teaser for Captain America: Civil War (61 million views), the second teaser for The Force Awakens (55 million views), and the first teaser for Avengers: Age of Ultron (34 million views).
Apparently, when it comes to teaser trailers, nothing attracts online eyes like Disney projects.
Directed by Bill Condon (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Dreamgirls), Beauty and the Beast is a live-action adaptation of the 1991 animated feature that became the first animated film to receive a “Best Picture” nomination at the Academy Awards. (The film took home two Oscars for its music.) The live-action film casts Harry Potter franchise alum Emma Watson as Belle and Downton Abbey actor Dan Stevens as the Beast.
Along with the film’s titular leads, Beauty and the Beast also features Kevin Kline, Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Audra McDonald, Ian McKellen, and Emma Thompson in supporting roles.
Composer Alan Menken, who earned a pair of Oscars for scoring the 1991 film, will return to score the live-action movie.
Beauty and the Beast is scheduled to hit theaters March 17, 2017.