LOS ANGELES, March 15 — In the early 1990s, Disney began scouring its back catalog for animated classics that it could turn into live-action remakes — a strategy that has so far netted almost US$4 billion (RM17.8 billion).
The latest offering, Beauty and the Beast, hits cinemas on Friday and has already broken pre-release sales records, with hopes high that it will be one of the largest-grossing movies of the year.
Here is a list of the company’s big-screen live-action remakes — which doesn’t include straight-to-video releases or sequels of remakes, such as last year’s Alice Through the Looking Glass — the original film, and their total box office take.
Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book —US 1994
(based on The Jungle Book - 1967)
US$43.2 million
101 Dalmatians - 1996
(based on One Hundred and One Dalmatians - 1961)
US$320 million
Alice in Wonderland - 2010
(based on Alice in Wonderland - 1951)
US$1.0 billion
Maleficent - 2014
(based on Sleeping Beauty - 1959)
US$759 million
Cinderella - 2015
(based on Cinderella - 1950)
US$544 million
The Jungle Book - 2016
(based on The Jungle Book - 1967)
US$967 million
Pete’s Dragon - 2016
(based on Pete’s Dragon - 1977*)
US$144 million
Source: BoxOfficeMojo.com
* The original Pete’s Dragon was also a mix of live-action and animation. — AFP-Relaxnews
