Beauty And The Beast clobbers record with US$170m opening

Los Angeles

BELLE just showed Batman who's boss.

With Disney's promotional machinery running full tilt and the masses apparently caring little about the inclusion of a gay character, Beauty And The Beast arrived to an astounding US$170 million in ticket sales at North American theatres over the weekend - breaking Hollywood records, including one set last year by Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice.

And talk about princess power: Beauty And The Beast, an old-fashioned musical that mixes live-action scenes with fully digital characters, collected an additional US$180 million overseas, placing the movie on a path towards US$1 billion in worldwide ticke…