
The Little Mermaid has been plagued with controversy since the live-action remake was announced. But has the movie risen above it all and been a success after opening weekend?
Disney has been releasing live-action remakes of their animated classics at breakneck speed. In 2019, Disney actually released four live-action remakes (Dumbo, Aladdin, The Lion King, and Lady & the Tramp) thanks to the success of Beauty & the Beast, which made over $1 billion.
Now, Disney is planning to remake Snow White, The Lion King 2, Lilo & Stitch, Hercules, The Hunchback of Notre Dam, Bambi, Aristocats, and Moana — despite most of their live-action remakes getting a low audience and critic ratings across the board.
The Little Mermaid has been met with jarringly contrasting reviews, with most people giving it a one or a five on Google. It does have a 95% audience score on Rotten Tomato. However, many critics have pointed out a lot of suspiciously positive reviews when the movie was getting pre-screened. So how is this all translating when it comes to cash?
The Little Mermaid has made more than $209 million worldwide so far. This includes over $163.5 million on its opening weekend. Now, everyone involved in its production is hoping to see it surpass its $250 million budget.
So why wasn’t The Little Mermaid as big of a success as other recent blockbusters? According to EntTelligence’s chief strategy officer, Steve Buck, the opening weekend number was actually “pretty decent” for a family film. He noted to The Wall Street Journal that 28% of viewers were children who got discounted ticket prices.
Still, the massive box office opening weekend splash was reportedly enough for Disney to continue pushing out live-action remakes.
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