The live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid may end up surprising its critics as it opens in theaters this month. The movie is currently tracking to breach $100 million as it releases on the four-day weekend in the US.
Box office predictions for Disney’s live-action remake of the animated classic The Little Mermaid have been released. The movie which stars Halle Bailey is predicted to earn $110 million as it opens on the Memorial Day weekend according to Deadline. This would land the movie among the top eight films released during the holiday frame.
Paramount Pictures’ Top Gun: Maverick debuted on the same weekend last year and earned $160.5 million. Also, Disney’s biggest Memorial Day weekend opening came in 2007 when Pirates of the Caribbean brought in $153 million. The studio’s live-action adaptation of Aladdin starring Will Smith debuted on the four-day weekend, earning $116 million in 2019.
Disney is expected to earn over $100 million this weekend with the premiere of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. The movie is predicted to earn somewhere in the neighborhood of $110 million and $120 million.
The final movie of the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy is reportedly lagging in advanced ticket sales by 6% when compared to Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Ant-Man 3’s 3-day opening was $106 million and 4-day of $120 million. However, Guardians of the Galaxy 3 had a special IMax screening on Wednesday night which will give the movie a big boost.
The live-action remake of The Little Mermaid raised some eyebrows among fans of the animated classic. The first trailer for the movie was panned by viewers on Youtube and was heavily disliked. Nay-sayers have reacted negatively to everything from the visual effects to the live-action adaptation of the beloved character Flounder. Audiences are also criticizing Disney for changing the race of Ariel, played by Halle Bailey.
While there is a lot of negative chatter on social media about the movie, Disney’s live-action adaptations always seem to perform well in theaters. Aladdin did extremely well and grossed over $1 billion in its theatrical run. Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent had an opening weekend of $175 million and totaled over $758 million during its entire run.
Disney’s biggest live-action adaptation is The Lion King which grossed $446 million on its opening weekend. The film is the ninth highest-grossing movie of all time, earning over $1.65 billion at the global box office.
The Little Mermaid opens in theaters on May 26.
