Disney’s Beauty and the Beast breaks online viewing records

How do you make a movie trailer that seemingly breaks all records before it? Records that were set by Fifty Shades Darker, no less? Well, ask Disney.

The company’s latest live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast has racked up a claimed 127.6-million online views in its first 24 hours. This number doesn’t just include YouTube, but Facebook too — notably Emma Watson’s (starring as Beauty) personal fan page.

In total, Facebook was responsible for over 50-million views alone. The official YouTube trailer has garnered over 12.3-million views at the time of writing.

According to Disney, the Beauty and the Beast trailer was viewed over 125-million times in its first 24 hours

The trailer’s popularity is not really a surprise though. especially when glancing down the billed cast list.

Disney has employed the likes of Dan Stevens (the Beast), Sir Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad and Stanley Tucci — all superstars in their own right — to star in the flick.

Additionally, the trailer itself is steeped in traditional Disney grandeur improved by advancements in computer rendering technology. But overall, it pretty much follows the tamer Disney version of the story.

The flick will debut on 17 March 2017.