Report: Disney’s ‘Little Mermaid’ Remake to Be Hollywood’s Biggest Box Office Failure.

Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ Reboot Struggles in China

Overview

Disney’s live-action reboot of “The Little Mermaid” is set to debut in China on May 26, but pre-sales figures suggest it may be a flop. The film earned just $13,000 from pre-sales for its opening weekend, indicating a severe lack of interest from China’s moviegoers. The film generated controversy when Disney cast black pop singer and actress Halle Bailey in the title role of Ariel, a role traditionally portrayed as a blue-eyed, fair-skinned mermaid.

Disney’s Struggles

Disney has been finding itself on the losing end of the popularity game, at least since its very public attack on Florida’s education law that bans children from being exposed to the radical gay and transgender sexual politics in the Sunshine State’s schools. This political activism has coincided with a major drop in America’s love for all things Disney. In June of last year, for instance, it was found that the company’s favorability quotient had dropped an incredible 40 points.

Box Office Numbers

Disney’s earnings are less than stellar compared to other studios. Since 2022, several of the films the studio expected to do well were relative flops. Its June 2022 release of “Lightyear,” based on the popular “Toy Story” characters, only brought in $51 million for its opening weekend when it was expected to rake in as much as $85 million. By November, its expected hit “Strange World” also turned out to be a flop for the studio and was on the road to actually losing money. These two flops reportedly cost Disney up to a loss of a quarter billion dollars.

Conclusion

Disney’s next expected hit, “The Little Mermaid,” opens on Friday in the U.S. and elsewhere. It remains to be seen if the film rises to the challenge or becomes just another “disappointing” release for struggling Disney.