tales

'Beauty and the Beast' nabs $350 million worldwide

Of that total, $170 million came at theaters in North America.

The domestic total exceeded what people in the industry had expected, and it broke the record for the biggest box office opening in March. The record had been held by last year's opening of "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice." It's also the best opening weekend of 2017 so far.

Disney's blockbuster formula for rebooting tales as old as time

Starring Emma Watson, "Beauty and the Beast" is another reimagined tale for Disney that follows box office hits "Alice in Wonderland" (2010), "Maleficent" (2014), "Cinderella" (2015) and most recently, "The Jungle Book."

Sean Bailey, president of Walt Disney Studios motion picture production, told CNN the company's strategy of adapting its animated classics for contemporary audiences can be traced back to Walt Disney himself.