Disney's highly anticipated live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast hits cinemas 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 industry tracking.
The 26-year-old earned a respectable $3 million (£2.4 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 dollars, then Watson will take home a hefty $15 million (£12 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 (£48 million) altogether for all eight Harry Potter movies.)
While we don't know how much Watson'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 salary she deserves. “We are not supposed to talk about money, because people will think you’re ‘difficult’ or a ‘diva,’” she told Esquire 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 who wants to getting down to the cinema to see Beauty and the Beast.