On May 26, Disney released its newest live-action remake, The Little Mermaid. The film starred Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Awkwafina as Scuttle, and Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric. The title role was given to young actress and singer Halle Bailey. Bailey’s casting made major headlines when it was announced, since Bailey is a talented black actress. The original animated Ariel was a white teenager with bright red hair.
For months, the trolls were loud, attacking the remake, attacking Bailey, and attacking Disney. Despite the trolls and the racist attacks, people came out in droves to see The Little Mermaid. The film saw a lot of success when it opened in the U.S. market. Over the first four days the film was open, it made $125 million at the box office. It was not Disney’s most successful box office weekend ever, but fans praised Bailey’s performance, loved the music, and appeared to thoroughly enjoy their journey under the sea.
Unfortunately, the film is not faring as well overseas. According to a report from The Hollywood Reporter, the film is tanking in the markets of South Korea and China due to racist backlash.
The movie has grossed a mere $3.6 million its first 10 days of release in China, by far the worst showing among Disney’s live-action adaptations. The movie is also struggling badly in South Korea, where it has earned $4.4 million through June 4. Sources close to the movie, as well as box office analysts, say Disney knew Little Mermaid could face challenges, but is surprised by the extent of the backlash and its impact.
Negative audience reviews have also populated social media in China. And just before the film opened in that country, the government-affiliated The Global Times ran an editorial lambasting Disney’s motives.
“The controversy surrounding Disney’s forced inclusion of minorities in classic films is not about racism, but its lazy and irresponsible storytelling strategy,” stated the op-ed. “Many Chinese netizens said that like ‘Snow White,’ the image of the mermaid princess in Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales has long been rooted in their hearts and it takes a leap of imagination to accept the new cast.”
Several recent Disney movies have struggled to succeed in certain markets. Multiple Marvel movies were not even shown in some markets, including China, due to their inclusion of gay characters. Lightyear also struggled and was banned in China because of a gay couple that was briefly shown in the film. In the past, Disney has altered its films to be shown in foreign markets. However, Disney has since said that they will not alter their movies to fit into certain anti-LGBTQ+ markets. Disney stands behind their characters and their stories.
