<Tr> <Th> Budget </Th> <Td> $160 million </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Box office </Th> <Td> $1.264 billion </Td> </Tr> <P> Beauty and the Beast is a 2017 American musical romantic fantasy film directed by Bill Condon from a screenplay written by Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos, and co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Mandeville Films . The film is based on Disney's 1991 animated film of the same name, itself an adaptation of Jeanne - Marie Leprince de Beaumont's eighteenth - century fairy tale . The film features an ensemble cast that includes Emma Watson and Dan Stevens as the eponymous characters with Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Audra McDonald, Gugu Mbatha - Raw, Ian McKellen, and Emma Thompson in supporting roles . </P> <P> Principal photography began at Shepperton Studios in Surrey, United Kingdom on May 18, 2015, and ended on August 21 . Beauty and the Beast premiered at Spencer House in London on February 23, 2017, and was released in the United States in standard, Disney Digital 3 - D, RealD 3D, IMAX and IMAX 3D formats, along with Dolby Cinema on March 17, 2017 . The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with many praising Watson and Stevens's performances as well as the ensemble cast, faithfulness to the original animated film alongside elements from the Broadway musical, visual style, production merits, and musical score, though it received criticism for some of the character designs and its excessive similarity to the original . The film grossed over $1.2 billion worldwide, becoming the highest - grossing live - action musical film, and making it the second highest - grossing film of 2017 and the 11th - highest - grossing film of all time . The film received four nominations at the 23rd Critics' Choice Awards and two nominations at the 71st British Academy Film Awards . It also received Academy Award nominations for Best Production Design and Best Costume Design at the 90th Academy Awards . </P>

Who plays the beast in the beauty and the beast