Disney’s cinematic rendition of “The Little Mermaid,” rendered in live-action, commences its aquatic journey in the realm of box office success, amassing an impressive sum of $10.3 million during its preview screenings. This much-anticipated film is poise to grace 4,320 theaters on the forthcoming Friday.
The revenue generated during Thursday’s sneak peeks positions “The Little Mermaid” as the seventh highest-grossing movie ever within the G- or PG-rated category. Moreover, the film also garnered an additional $850,000 from its early access screenings held on Wednesday.
With the talented singer and actor, Halle Bailey, embodying the role of Ariel, the beloved protagonist, this new cinematic adaptation forecasted to make a grand debut, potentially amassing a remarkable $100 million over the holiday weekend. Given the extended Memorial Day break, the film’s four-day cumulative earnings could land impressively between the range of $120 million and $125 million.
“The Little Mermaid” is anticipate to make an immense impact as one of Disney’s most triumphant ventures into the realm of live-action remakes. Drawing comparisons to the recent 2019 photorealistic and computer-animated remake of “The Lion King,” which roared to a staggering $191 million opening from $23 million in previews and subsequently exceeded the billion-dollar mark worldwide, the new iteration of “The Little Mermaid” holds tremendous promise. Additionally, just a few months before “The Lion King” hit theaters, the live-action adaptation of “Aladdin” premiered to an impressive $117 million during the four-day Memorial Day weekend, with a preview haul of $7 million, eventually crossing the billion-dollar threshold on a global scale.
However, Disney has also experienced a few disappointments within its portfolio of remakes. The live-action version of “Mulan” debuted at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and opted for a release on Disney+ through the Premier Access model. Similarly, “Pinocchio” and “Peter Pan & Wendy” found their exclusive homes on the Disney+ streaming platform.
With a substantial budget estimated at approximately $250 million, “The Little Mermaid” sets its sights on reclaiming the glory of box office triumph for Disney’s extensive repertoire of remakes. It is poise to effortlessly dethrone the previous week’s champion, “Fast X,” securing the coveted top spot. Following its underwhelming $67 million opening, the action-packed sequel from Universal is expected to drift into second place, projected to earn between $27 million and $30 million during its second weekend in theaters.
The ensemble cast of “The Little Mermaid” boasts an impressive lineup, featuring Melissa McCarthy as the malevolent sea witch Ursula, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Daveed Diggs lending his voice to the character of Sebastian the crab, Jacob Tremblay portraying Flounder the fish, and Awkwafina bringing life to the comical seabird known as Scuttle.
In a separate cinematic venture, Lionsgate’s “About My Father,” a modestly budgeted comedy starring Sebastian Maniscalco and Robert De Niro, embarked on its theatrical journey with a preview collection of $285,000 and is currently on track to accumulate a noteworthy $5 million during its inaugural weekend.
