The Little Mermaid debut nets top spot at box offices

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
29 May 2023 16:17
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Disney's version of The Little Mermaid hit theaters in the US and UK on May 26.

A general view of the premiere of the film "The Little Mermaid" in California, on May 8, 2023 (Reuters)

Disney's live-action remake of "The Little Mermaid" came in first at North American box offices on its opening weekend, which coincided with the Memorial Day holiday in the United States, as per industry analyst Exhibitor Relations on Sunday.

The recreation of the 1989 cartoon fable of an aquatic princess who gives up her voice in search of true love on land, starring pop singer Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy, grossed $117.5 million in the United States and Canada and another $68 million abroad, Exhibitor Relations said.

Despite its top position, analyst David A. Gross noted that the aquatic adventure's launch is not as big as expected for an opening weekend for a live-action Disney adaption.

He remembered that the opening weekends of 2019's "The Lion King" and 2017's "Beauty and the Beast" made $191.8 million and $174.8 million, respectively.

"During the last dozen years, Disney has built live-action remakes into a powerhouse phenomenon," Gross wrote in the FranchiseRe newsletter.

Nonetheless, Ariel and her pals were able to knock last week's number one film "Fast-X" to a distant second place, with Universal's action flick grossing just $29.5 million from Friday to Monday.

That's less than half of what the film, part of the "Fast & Furious" franchise starring Vin Diesel, earned in its first weekend.

Disney's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" and Universal's "The Super Mario Bros Movie" were also knocked down one spot each from last weekend to come in third and fourth places, bringing in $25.3 million and $7.7 million.

Sony's new action comedy "The Machine", which made $5.8 million and is based on US comic Bert Kreischer's stand-up routine, came in fifth place.