BEAUTY AND THE BEAST SETS BOX OFFICE RECORDS GLOBALLY

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast charms its way to the hearts of audiences in Southeast Asia, taking in a remarkable cumulative box office of USD$14.9million across the region on its' opening weekend. The live-action adaptation of the beloved classic tale opened to the number one position at the box office charts globally.

In Singapore, the film opened in cinemas on 16th March, and lands itself as the biggest opening weekend of 2017, garnering a cumulative box office of USD$2.1million locally.

Internationally, the film has secured its position as one of the top 10 openings of all time, achieving USD$350 million at the global box office till date. Starring Emma Watson as Belle, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is poised to continue its stellar performance at the box office.

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JOSH GROBAN TO RELEASE ORIGINAL SONG FOR BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Multi-platinum international recording artist and songwriter Josh Groban has recorded an all-new original song, “Evermore,” for Disney’s live-action “Beauty and the Beast.” The song will appear in the film’s end credits as well as the soundtrack.

“Evermore,” a soaring ballad performed in the film by the Beast (Dan Stevens) after he releases Belle (Emma Watson) to be with her father, is written by eight-time Oscar®-winning composer Alan Menken (“The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin”) and veteran lyricist and three-time Oscar winner Tim Rice (“The Lion King,” “Evita”). Menken also provides the film score, as well as new recordings of the classic songs from the animated film written by himself and Ashman. The original motion picture soundtrack will be released by Walt Disney Records on March 10, 2017.

Says Groban, “I am honored to sing this beautiful new song by two of my absolute favorites, Alan Menken and Tim Rice. ‘Beauty and the Beast’ has been with me since my childhood and to have a musical connection to this new film makes me so happy.”

Mitchell Leib, president of music for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Production, helped to bring Groban into the musical mix for the film. “Alan Menken, director Bill Condon and I were talking about which contemporary recording artist could even sing such a demanding song, let alone succeed with it. Josh stood alone,” says Leib. “His voice is a natural fit for this showstopper of a composition.”

Possessing one of the most outstanding and instantly recognizable voices in music, singer, songwriter, and actor Josh Groban has entertained fans across the globe with his multi-platinum albums and DVDs (over 30 million sold worldwide), electrifying live performances, and comedic film and television appearances. The 35-year-old Los Angeles native is the only artist who has had two albums on the Top 20 Best-Selling Albums list of the past decade, according to Billboard. He has appeared in the feature films “Crazy, Stupid, Love,” “The Hollars,” “Coffee Town” and “Muppets Most Wanted,” as well as on NBC’s “The Office,” FX’s “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and CBS’ “The Crazy Ones.”

Groban has released seven studio albums, his 2001 self-titled 5x-platinum debut, 2003’s 6x-platinum “Closer,” 2006’s double-platinum “Awake,” 2007’s 6x platinum GRAMMY-nominated “Noel,” 2010’s gold-certified “Illuminations” and 2013’s gold-certified “All That Echoes,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, giving Groban his first No. 1 debut and third chart-topper. Groban earned GRAMMY Award® nominations for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for his 2015 album “Stages,” a collection of some of the greatest songs from musical theater and 2016’s “Stages Live,” which featured performances recorded at the historic Los Angeles Theater for his all-new PBS special “Josh Groban: Stages Live.”
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CELINE DION TO PERFORM ORIGINAL SONG FOR DISNEY'S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Five-time GRAMMY® winning and best-selling recording artist Celine Dion will perform an all-new original song, “How Does A Moment Last Forever,” for Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast. The song will also be included on the film’s soundtrack.

Written by eight-time Oscar®-winning composer Alan Menken (“The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin”) and veteran lyricist and three-time Oscar winner Tim Rice (“The Lion King,” “Evita”), “How Does A Moment Last Forever” is an emotional ballad about holding onto life’s precious moments. Portions of the song are performed throughout the film and interpolated into the underscore before Dion’s full-length version debuts in the film’s custom main-on-end title design. Says Dion, “Being a part of the original ‘Beauty and the Beast’ was such a magical experience in my life, and I'm truly honored to be a part of this film again.” President of Music for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Production, Mitchell Leib, approached the artist on behalf of the project with the idea of recording one of the three new songs written for the film. “Celine was the unanimous choice of the filmmakers and studio to perform this song,” says Leib, “And everyone involved with the film is thrilled she agreed to be part of this new live-action adaptation.”

Dion originally performed the duet “Beauty and the Beast” – featuring Menken’s haunting melody and two-time Oscar-winner Howard Ashman’s unforgettable lyrics – with Peabo Bryson for the animated film. The song became an instant classic and went on to receive an Academy Award®, Golden Globe® and three GRAMMY Awards. Menken also provides the film score along with new recordings of the classic songs from the animated film written by himself and Ashman. The original motion picture soundtrack will be released by Walt Disney Records on March 10, 2017.

Directed by Bill Condon based on the 1991 animated film “Beauty and the Beast,” the screenplay is written by Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos and produced by Mandeville Films’ David Hoberman, p.g.a. and Todd Lieberman, p.g.a. with Jeffrey Silver, Thomas Schumacher and Don Hahn serving as executive producers. “Beauty and the Beast” will be released in Singapore cinemas on 16 March 2017.

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