As Disney’s live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid” nears the conclusion of its theatrical run, it seems to have found a second wind, suggesting that there is still plenty of life left in this beloved tale. While the film initially faced commercial challenges following its debut just over three weeks ago, it has managed to steady itself and sail past several new milestones at the box office over the weekend. “The Little Mermaid” has now surpassed the $250 million mark in domestic earnings, crossed the $200 million mark in international territories, and reached an impressive $450 million worldwide.
These numbers may have seemed ambitious not too long ago, but the film now appears to have a strong chance of swimming toward the coveted half-billion-dollar mark worldwide before its theatrical run concludes. Currently, the film has amassed $253 million in the domestic box office and $212 million from international markets, resulting in a global haul of $465 million. It’s worth noting that “The Little Mermaid” has experienced an atypical distribution of revenue. Typically, large-scale, visually stunning productions of this nature tend to generate a significant portion of their earnings from international markets. However, it appears that the film’s appeal resonates more strongly within its domestic audience compared to international markets. During its extended opening weekend, “The Little Mermaid” made $117 million domestically and garnered $168 million globally. While these numbers are not overwhelmingly impressive, especially considering the film’s reported production budget of $250 million (excluding marketing expenses), they do reflect Disney’s high expectations for the movie.
And why wouldn’t Disney have high hopes? The studio’s previous major live-action remake, “Aladdin,” surpassed the billion-dollar mark worldwide while costing less than $200 million to produce. “Aladdin” opened with a similar domestic figure, eventually reaching $350 million domestically and a staggering $1.1 billion globally. While it is still possible for “The Little Mermaid” to surpass $300 million in domestic earnings, its lack of high-profile movie stars, such as Will Smith in “Aladdin,” may be hindering its performance in markets where star power holds greater sway. Among other live-action Disney remakes, the film still has a realistic chance of surpassing the global earnings of “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,” which concluded its run with $494 million.
However, it is important to note that reaching the top tier of Disney remakes in terms of box office success is unlikely for “The Little Mermaid.” Over the past decade and a half, only four Disney remakes have surpassed the billion-dollar mark globally: “Aladdin,” “The Lion King” ($1.66 billion), “Beauty and the Beast” ($1.2 billion), and “Alice in Wonderland” ($1 billion). In the context of 2023 releases, “The Little Mermaid” currently ranks as the sixth-largest Hollywood release, trailing behind films such as “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” “Fast X,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.”
Starring newcomer Halle Bailey in the titular role, alongside notable names such as Melissa McCarthy as Ursula and Jonah Hauer-King, Noma Dumezweni, Daveed Diggs, Javier Bardem, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay, and Art Malik, “The Little Mermaid” has garnered attention for its diverse cast and creative team. To gain further insights, you can watch our interview with the film’s director, Rob Marshall, and stay tuned to Collider for the latest updates on this enchanting adaptation.
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Merida, Elsa, Anna, Moana, Alice