“The Little Mermaid” made a big splash at the box office during the Memorial Day weekend, raking in an impressive $117.5 million domestically. This achievement marks the fifth-highest opening for a Memorial Day weekend release in history, as reported by Comscore.
Why it matters: While the film didn’t reach the blockbuster status of last year’s “Top Gun: Maverick” during the same period, it showcased promising momentum for the box office as we head into a summer filled with exciting releases.
“‘The Little Mermaid’ had a strong presence over the Memorial weekend, with bustling multiplexes that exposed audiences to trailers and in-theater marketing for the thrilling lineup of movies coming up until August,” shared Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian with Axios.
Details: The movie’s debut met expectations, with “The Little Mermaid” earning $95.5 million domestically over the three-day weekend. This figure closely aligns with the debut of Disney’s live-action remake of “Aladdin” during Memorial Day weekend in 2019.
The film, which had a production cost of $250 million, has amassed $68.3 million internationally, bringing its worldwide gross to $185.8 million. However, it faced challenges in China, where it only garnered $2.5 million over the weekend.
Starring the talented Halle Bailey as Ariel, “The Little Mermaid” received positive feedback from moviegoers, earning an impressive 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, critics’ reception has been somewhat mixed.
Be smart: Disney has had a varied track record with its live-action remakes of beloved animated classics. Remakes like “The Lion King” (2019), “Beauty and the Beast” (2017), and “Aladdin” (2019) achieved phenomenal commercial success, grossing over $1.6 billion, $1.2 billion, and $1 billion, respectively. On the other hand, live-action sequels such as “Christopher Robin” (2018) and “Dumbo” (2019) fell short in terms of commercial performance.
Overall, “The Little Mermaid” ranks fifth among Disney’s other live-action remakes in terms of its domestic debut.
The big picture: The box office is still struggling to recover fully, with sales lagging behind pre-pandemic levels by nearly 25%. However, Dergarabedian believes that a stronger lineup of late-summer hits could help the theater industry make up for some of the losses.
Data from Box Office Mojo reveals that this summer will see the release of 42 wide-release films, compared to 22 last summer. To reach the $4 billion mark, the box office needs to generate $560 million more this summer compared to the previous year, according to Dergarabedian’s estimates.
“I’m very optimistic about the potential to achieve the $4 billion mark, reminiscent of the pre-pandemic movie marketplace, given the strong lineup of films and their consistent release throughout the upcoming summer months,” he expressed.
Yes, but: It’s unlikely that the box office will fully return to the pre-pandemic levels of grossing over $11 billion domestically this year, even if it reaches the $4 billion mark by the end of the summer.
What to watch: The summer promises some exciting blockbusters, including “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (June 2), “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” (June 9), “The Flash” (June 16), “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One” (July 12), “Barbie” (July), “Oppenheimer” (July), “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mut
