“The Little Mermaid,” a live-action remake of the beloved animated tale about Ariel, a red-haired sea siren who falls in love with a prince, captured the attention of audiences as it dominated the box office during the Memorial Day weekend, marking thirty-five years since its original release. The Disney film is poised to make a staggering $118 million during the four-day holiday period, with $96 million earned over the three-day span alone. This achievement places it as the fifth highest-grossing Memorial Day opening in history.
The movie received strong support from both long-time admirers who were enchanted by Ariel’s captivating presence on the silver screen in 1988, as well as from newer generations of fans who were introduced to the story through its availability on DVD, television, and more recently, through streaming services, despite not being alive when the original film premiered.
According to Tony Chambers, Disney’s head of distribution, “The Little Mermaid” holds a special place as a classic film. It is often regarded as a favorite animated movie among individuals of his generation, alongside “Beauty and the Beast.” The story resonates with people, transporting them back to their cherished childhood memories. With the release of this live-action adaptation, many have the perfect opportunity to share their love for the film with the next generation.
The live-action rendition of “The Little Mermaid,” directed by Rob Marshall, is a remarkable feat of combining CGI to bring Ariel’s underwater world to life. Halle Bailey portrays the titular character, while Melissa McCarthy portrays Ursula, the villainous sea witch who takes Ariel’s voice in exchange for granting her legs and a chance to pursue a romantic relationship with the enchanting Prince Eric, played by Jonah Hauer-King. The ensemble cast also includes Javier Bardem, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay, and Daveed Diggs.
Bringing the magical world of “The Little Mermaid” to life came with a hefty price tag. With a production budget of $250 million, the film needs to continue drawing in audiences worldwide to break even. In international markets, the movie generated $68.3 million across 51 territories.
In the United States, 68% of the audience consisted of female moviegoers, while 25% were between the ages of 25 and 34. Additionally, children made up 22% of the opening weekend attendees.
Disney has experienced success by revitalizing its animated properties through live-action adaptations. Previous examples include “Aladdin” featuring Will Smith as the Genie, “Beauty and the Beast” with Emma Watson as Belle, and “The Lion King,” which utilized impressive green screen effects rather than real animals in the savannah setting.
According to Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, the success of “The Little Mermaid” signals Disney’s approval to continue exploring their rich catalog of content. With such a tremendous opening, it is highly likely that more live-action reboots will be in store for audiences.
Meanwhile, in other theaters, the tenth installment in the “Fast and Furious” franchise, titled “Fast X,” appears to be losing momentum, at least in the United States. It is projected to earn around $23 million in its second weekend and $28.7 million over the four-day holiday period, following a relatively soft debut of $67 million. Dom and his crew may be facing disappointment domestically, as the film has only amassed a lackluster $113.6 million in the U.S. However, the international reception for “Fast X” has been much more enthusiastic, with expectations that it will surpass the $500 million mark at the global box office this weekend, positioning it as the third highest-grossing film of the year. It is crucial for the movie to continue generating substantial revenue considering its staggering production budget of $340 million.
In the box office rankings for the weekend, Disney’s “Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3” secured the third position, earning $20 million and an estimated $25.3 million over the four-day holiday period. The film’s domestic total now stands at an impressive $300 million. Following closely behind in fourth place was Universal and Illumination’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which garnered $6.3 million over the weekend and an estimated $8.3 million during the holiday period. Domestically, the movie has achieved an astonishing $560.9 million in earnings after eight weeks in theaters, leaving theater owners eagerly anticipating a sequel to the video game adaptation.
In the realm of arthouse cinema, “You Hurt My Feelings,” a release by A24 that reunites director Nicole Holofcener and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss from “Enough Said,” opened to a modest $1.4 million over the weekend and $1.8 million during the holiday period.
Unfortunately, not every studio had reason to rejoice, as three new releases failed to resonate with audiences. Sony and Legendary’s action comedy “The Machine,” starring stand-up comedian Bert Kreischer, suffered a collapse, collecting $4.9 million over the weekend and $5.8 million over the four-day holiday. Similarly, “About My Father,” based on the life story of popular comic Sebastian Maniscalco, struggled to generate interest, managing to scrape together $4.3 million over the weekend and $5.3 million during the holiday period as a release from Lionsgate. Gerard Butler’s latest action film “Kandahar,” distributed by Open Road and Briarcliff, experienced a feeble performance, grossing a meager $2.4 million over the weekend and $3 million throughout the four-day period.
The gap between the successful hits and the disappointing flops at the box office this weekend was truly substantial.
Source: Variety
