The Little Mermaid Opens To An Impressive $118 Million And Is Now Pegged As The Best Live-Action Disney Movie Of All Time!

Even before the premiere of The Little Mermaid, it had already stirred plenty of talk, and not all of it was positive. But so far, this reboot is proving to be a well-planned and successful Disney idea because, during its weekend opening, it has already earned a whopping $118 million.

Based on the movie review site Rotten Tomatoes, the Disney film also achieved the highest fan rating among all live-action Disney movies. It is now more successful than Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin, scoring a 94% favorable audience rating.

The original cartoon was released in 1989, and this year’s live-action version, which boasts the use of CGI animation, was better because it did justice to the original and has indeed come to life. 

Halle Bailey played the lead role of Ariel, while Melissa McCarthy portrayed the character of the sea witch Ursula. Meanwhile, Jonah Hauer-King brought Prince Eric to life. 

Recall that when the announcement came out that Halle was cast as Ariel, she received backlash concerning her color. But despite this, the movie still successfully topped the box office. The timing also worked in the movie’s favor, given that it was released during the Memorial Day weekend in the US.

The Little Mermaid, according to Variety, made it the fifth-highest Memorial Day opening ever. Recall that Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick, released last year, was the highest-grossing film to premiere during Memorial Weekend, earning $160.5 million.

Possibly one reason the sales skyrocketed for The Little Mermaid was the lead actress, Halle, who, in a surprise and bold move, went to see her movie in the cinema in disguise.

She documented and shared her little adventure on her TikTok. She let her over two million followers witness how she managed to sneak in and vanish among the other moviegoers undetected.

Using the COVID safety precaution of wearing a face mask, Halle added sunglasses to her disguise, and true enough, people didn’t notice, making her little escapade a success.

But The Little Mermaid still has plenty to prove and achieve because, despite its early victory, critics gave the film mixed reactions, and as of date, it has only gained a 67% approval rating.

Some critics and experts claim that it is the best live-action Disney movie, that Halle was befitting for her role and that her performance was superb. Still, some honestly reviewed it as a movie that can’t escape the original and animated legacy. Back then, the cartoon version earned an overall 92% rating, with an impressive 88% fan approval.

Halle, on the other hand, is still high on the early victory of the movie, even claiming how she broke down watching kids gleefully and honestly react to her portrayal of Ariel. The 23-year-old actress, during her interview with Glamour magazine, openly discussed black representation during the making of the movie.

The young actress likened her feeling of being a black actress portraying a princess to possibly what Anika Rose felt while showing Tiana in The Princess and Frog. Halle revealed, “I know how much of that movie changed my whole perspective on life. Wow, this is possible. Black princesses are possible. And we deserve to take up these spaces too.”