Disney's live-action retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast story is due in theaters in less than a month, and it's shaping up to be a box office monster. It's tracking for a $120 million North American debut, though Disney insiders are staying conservative with a weekend bow closer to $100 million-plus. Either total would give Bill Condon's fairy tale film one of the top spots ever for March, placing it well above Oz the Great and Powerful, and possibly passing Disney's live-action juggernaut Alice in Wonderland. (The month's top two earners are currently The Hunger Games and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which are likely out of reach for the moment.) THR reported on the bullish box office prediction.

Scripted by Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos with music by Disney veteran Alan Menken, the film stars Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Audra McDonald, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Ian McKellen, and Emma Thompson. Beauty and the Beast opens in theaters on March 17th.

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Image via Disney

Here’s the official synopsis for Beauty and the Beast:

“Beauty and the Beast” is the fantastic journey of Belle, a bright, beautiful and independent young woman who is taken prisoner by a beast in his castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle’s enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the Beast’s hideous exterior and realize the kind heart and soul of the true Prince within.

And for more on Beauty and the Beast, be sure to check out our previous write-ups:

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