‘The Little Mermaid’ Poised to be Disney’s Worst Opening in One Market

Audiences around the globe are on the edge of their seats waiting for the theatrical release of Disney’s The Little Mermaid live-action remake. In fact, the Mouse House faced much criticism from fans for its “wokeness” in casting Black singer-songwriter and actress Halle Bailey in the role of Princess Ariel. Along with this, many have been unsure if the film will live up to Disney’s usual standards, considering Disney’s recent track record with its releases. Despite all this, the initial reviews of the movie have been phenomenal, and it’s anticipated to have a hugely successful opening weekend.

However, it appears that this may not be so in one market.

Read More: ‘The Little Mermaid’ Anticipates $110M for Its Opening

The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid live-action remake from Walt Disney Studios stars Halle Bailey as Disney Princess Ariel, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, the evil sea-witch, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, and Jonah Hauer-King as the dashing Prince Eric. Chicago filmmaker Rob Marshall directs the movie and has music from Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Along with being one of the most talked about releases to date, it’s also one that has been through its fair share of ups and downs on its journey to theatrical release on May 26. And while most Disney Fanatics are certainly on the edge of their seats waiting to watch the movie for themselves, some fans are less enthused.

The Little Mermaid in China

CBR recently reported that the movie is one of the latest in the line of Hollywood’s major releases to secure a release date in China, following several years of what was effectively a “ban” on Western films. While securing a release is undoubtedly a success in itself, there’s one slight hiccup.

As the outlet reported,

According to Chinese box officer observers such as Luiz Fernando, the film earned just $13,000 from pre-sales for its opening weekend, indicating a severe lack of interest from China’s moviegoers.

To understand this further, here are some of Disney’s previous releases and their numbers:

• Disney’s Cruella: It was also predicted to earn low figures and ultimately grossed $1.6 million upon opening and $24 million over its entire theatrical run in China.
• Mulan: Grossed $307,000 in a day of presales and $23 million upon opening. The film earned $40.7 million throughout its theatrical run in China.

While The Little Mermaid’s future in China might be uncertain, a lot of its other markets are poised to be quite successful, and seeing how these types of situations have panned out in the past, it still may turn the tides and turn into a Disney success story!