Disney's highly anticipated live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast hits theaters this weekend. The film, starring Emma Watson as Belle, Dan Stevens as the (CGI) Beast, and Luke Evans as Gaston, is already poised to March break box office records. According to Deadline, industry, Beauty already raked in $60 million by Friday afternoon, and is projected to make $165 - $175 million by the end of the weekend. (If it hits $166 million, it will beat Batman v. Superman for best March opening weekend ever.)
The 26-year-old earned a respectable $3 million upfront for the movie, directed by Hollywood musical master Bill Condon (Chicago, Dreamgirls). However, Watson stands to make up to five times that amount, depending on how well the film does, according to The Hollywood Reporter. If Beauty and the Beast can ultimately earn around three-quarters of a billion, then Watson will take home a hefty $15 million, per THR. And if the promising forecasts are correct, then Watson will be walking away with that amount. (By comparison, Watson made around $60 million altogether for all eight Harry Potter movies.)
While we don't know how much Waton's male co-stars — including Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, and Josh Gad — were paid, we do know where the feminist actress stands on the gender pay gap in Hollywood. Hint: Watson's not standing for any industry bullshit when it comes to asking for the paycheck she deserves. “We are not supposed to talk about money, because people will think you’re ‘difficult’ or a ‘diva,’” she told Esquire U.K. in 2016. “But there’s a willingness now to be like, “Fine. Call me a ‘diva’, call me a ‘feminazi’, call me ‘difficult’, call me a ‘First World feminist’, call me whatever you want, it’s not going to stop me from trying to do the right thing and make sure that the right thing happens.’” In that case, the right thing would be everyone getting their butts to the theater to see Beauty and the Beast.