Emma Watson
Emma Watson is thanking the fans for “Beauty and Beast” success. Here, she attends the film’s New York screening on March 13, 2017. Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

It shattered records with an impressive $170 million opening, and now, Emma Watson is thanking fans for making the “Beauty and the Beast” live-action remake a huge success.

In a series of images from the set of the film, which featured Watson dressed as Belle, as well as one which featured her on-screen father Maurice (Kevin Kline), the actress acknowledged how fans and their families helped bring the film so much success by attending showings together.

The film had seen some controversy surrounding it before it was released, specifically after several theaters pulled the film when Disney confirmed that LeFou (Josh Gad) had been changed to a gay character. The film wound up being pulled from Malaysia over the scene, and has since also been pulled from theaters in Kuwait. Domestically, a theater in Alabama also pulled the movie because of a religious objection to the “exclusively gay scene” that director Bill Condon had alluded to.

Read: Emma Watson Promotes “Beauty and the Beast” Amid Fappening Scandal

But it appeared the bulk of audiences didn’t object to the reveal because of the success the film had in the box office. According to The New York Times, the ticket sales broke multiple Hollywood records in the march to $170 million, including the one set for biggest March opening, which had previously been broken just last year by “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.”

In addition to the domestic success, the film also went on to collect an additional $180 million overseas.

Read: Malaysian Theatres Pull “Beauty and the Beast”Over Gay Scene

The movie was a live-action update of Disney’s 1991 animated version, which won two Academy Awards for best original score and best original song for “Beauty and the Beast.” In addition to the change made to the LeFou character, the new film included other changes as well, with Belle being an inventor instead of Maurice, and the addition of more character backstory.

“Beauty and the Beast” is currently playing in theaters nationwide.

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