THE LITTLE MERMAID Takes In $10M From Preview Screenings Ahead Of Potential $125M Weekend

THE LITTLE MERMAID Takes In $10M From Preview Screenings Ahead Of Potential $125M Weekend

Disney's latest live-action remake, The Little Mermaid, is off to a strong start at the box office after taking in over $10 million from Thursday previews. The movie is now looking at a $120M+ debut weekend.

By MarkCassidy - May 26, 2023 07:05 AM EST
Filed Under: Disney

Even when the critics aren't won over, Disney's live-action reimaginings of its animated classics usually perform very well at the box office, and it doesn't sound like Rob Marshall's The Little Mermaid is going to buck the trend.

According to the latest estimates (via Variety), the musical fantasy adventure looks set to make a massive splash when it swims into theaters this Memorial Day weekend, amassing $100 million from 4,300 North American theaters in its first three days of release, and $120 million to $125 million by Monday’s holiday.

Though that obviously remains to be seen, the movie is off to a strong start with $10M+ from preview screenings (made up of takings from Wednesday's 6PM fan screenings and early Thursday shows).

If these predictions prove to be accurate, The Little Mermaid will become the fourth movie (and third from Disney) this year to clear the $100 million mark over its opening weekend, following The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($146 million), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ($118 million) and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania ($106 million).

Just like Ariel, we'll have to see if the movie is able to hold on to its legs over the next few weeks, but reviews have been pretty positive for the most part (it's currently sitting at 71% on Rotten Tomatoes with an 84% audience score).

Do you plan on seeing The Little Mermaid in theaters this weekend?

The Little Mermaid is the beloved story of Ariel, a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. The youngest of King Triton’s daughters, and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea, and while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric.

While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land, but ultimately places her life – and her father’s crown – in jeopardy.

The movie is set to hit theaters on May 26, 2023.

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mountainman
mountainman - 5/26/2023, 7:49 AM
This movie was always destined to do well at the box office. It’s the last of the era that revitalized Disney animation. The other 3 from that era - Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King - all did very well too.

Other Disney live action movies won’t have as much nostalgia fueling them. Those 4 movies were something special for audiences and are all still incredibly popular to this day.

Hercules could do well too as it only came out a few years later, but it didn’t do as well as these four did. I imagine that one will be more of a reimagining vs a direct remake like these ones were.
AllsGood
AllsGood - 5/26/2023, 7:51 AM
@mountainman - Aladdin was great and only opened with 91 million and went on to do over 1 billion.
mountainman
mountainman - 5/26/2023, 7:53 AM
@AllsGood - Out of the three that have come out so far, Aladdin was my favorite. It was also my favorite of these animated movies as a kid so that could make me biased.

But overall, I’ve had more enjoyment for some of the ones that weren’t direct recreations. My favorite of the modern Disney live actions were Jungle Book and Cruella.
mastakilla39
mastakilla39 - 5/26/2023, 4:14 PM
@mountainman - Next 1 is Snow White, whose quite a household name so it can open big. They could make a musical version of Cinderella or reboot Alice and Wonderland as Tim Burton made it too weird. Then just go and adapt the other princess: Tangled, Princess and the Frog, Frozen, etc.

Disney has content for years. They can start doing Pixar live action remakes too.
marvel72
marvel72 - 5/26/2023, 4:57 PM
@mountainman - Only liked Jungle Book the others were shit.
Itwasme
Itwasme - 5/26/2023, 8:41 PM
@mountainman - funny enough the original was not the blockbuster Lion King or other Disney films were. It still did well, but not as big.
mountainman
mountainman - 5/26/2023, 8:46 PM
@Itwasme - Oh yeah I’ve seen the box office for it. But those 4 late 80’s/early 90’s Disney animated features are some of their most popular to this day.
AllsGood
AllsGood - 5/26/2023, 7:49 AM
Disney is showing how real families are done not like those Fake Families in Fast X which tanked the second weekend with a 25 to 32 million weekend.

pitbull76
pitbull76 - 5/26/2023, 9:39 AM
@AllsGood - listen at the end of every action movie we should be lucky enough to see the whole cast having a BBQ together.
StSteven
StSteven - 5/26/2023, 6:00 PM
@pitbull76 - And drinking Corona. Don't forget the God damned Corona!
pitbull76
pitbull76 - 5/26/2023, 7:40 PM
@StSteven - Also remember family is all we have.lol
StSteven
StSteven - 5/26/2023, 7:59 PM
@pitbull76 - And they'd better bring the damn Corona. Seriously, if after all that high speed car chasing, super-spying, death-defying, gravity-defying, Mission:Impossible kinda bullshit and I gotta come home and grill up some sweet-ass wagyu burgers, the least, THE LEAST they can do is bring the f**king Corona. Jus' sayin'
pitbull76
pitbull76 - 5/26/2023, 11:05 PM
@StSteven - yea I'm not big on Corona no offense we like what we like right?Im sure people are going to bust my nuts over this but I'm Canadian and weed is totally legal in the whole country.you get the Corona I get the blunt fair trade.
StSteven
StSteven - 5/26/2023, 11:17 PM
@pitbull76 - Oh I like Corona just fine (kinda the Budweiser of Mexican beers), but I was referring to at least the original F&F movies where Dom made a deal about them always drinking Corona during their BBQs (don't remember the last time I actually had a Corona myself).

Weed would be great, but I live in TX so it's not anywhere legal here...
pitbull76
pitbull76 - 5/27/2023, 12:14 AM
@StSteven - Just a matter of time the problem is in some states it's legal but it needs to be legal Federal it will happen soon or later.
StSteven
StSteven - 5/27/2023, 2:54 PM
@pitbull76 - Yeah, we're inching closer to it being legal overall one state at a time, but it's still going to take a while and with how long it takes anything to happen Congress... yeah.
pitbull76
pitbull76 - 5/27/2023, 5:00 PM
@StSteven - true don't get that alcohol is legal and is more harmful for yet that's ok?
StSteven
StSteven - 5/27/2023, 9:05 PM
@pitbull76 - Been saying that for years now. And the answer is... lobbying. Currently there's no "marijuana special interest group" in the US with deep pockets to donate to elections like there is with alcohol and other "vices" (at least not that I know of). So it's truly a "grassroots" movement (ba-da-ching!). And at the end of the day, it will likely ultimately be the dollars that taxing weed brings the states rather than the actual will of the people that will change politicians' minds. And in states like TX, we don't need the additional tax revenue, so where's the drive?

I usually try to stay a-political on this site so I'll just leave it there. But at the end of the day money talks...
pitbull76
pitbull76 - 5/27/2023, 11:46 PM
@StSteven - Great comment and on point 👍
StSteven
StSteven - 5/28/2023, 1:19 PM
@pitbull76 - Every now and then I manage to make one of those (when I'm actually trying to be serious 😉).
tBHzHomer
tBHzHomer - 5/26/2023, 7:49 AM
"I dont care about this movie. Its complete garbage. As a 41 yr old man who has not seen, nor do I plan on seeing this movie, everyone knows that it's my opinion that matters most. Not the children that are this movie's target demographic."

There, I said it for you all so you can move along with your lives.
tBHzHomer
tBHzHomer - 5/26/2023, 7:50 AM
That being said, it does actually look pretty good. I'll wait for it to hit streaming, but I do wanna see it.
dragon316
dragon316 - 5/26/2023, 7:55 AM
@tBHzHomer - not all adults like Disney movies that’s fine your choice tbhzhomer and my self will see it
tBHzHomer
tBHzHomer - 5/26/2023, 7:57 AM
@dragon316 - I plan to see it as well. Just nor in theaters. My comment was directed at the grown adults who have been complaining about a children's movie that they've never seen and supposedly don't care about.
Radders
Radders - 5/26/2023, 8:48 AM
@tBHzHomer - Ok dude calm down its just movie and you're opinion does matter
pitbull76
pitbull76 - 5/26/2023, 9:45 AM
@tBHzHomer - I just want to come on here and bitch and complain as a adult with no kids who should not care.How dare they take a animated movie about mermaids talking and sing fish and crabs and my only concern is they changed Ariel's skin color.wtf
pitbull76
pitbull76 - 5/26/2023, 9:47 AM
@Radders - Are you trolling or did he trigger you? Honest question.
pitbull76
pitbull76 - 5/26/2023, 9:49 AM
@pitbull76 - LMFAO I also will be watching this when it hits Disney plus.
StSteven
StSteven - 5/26/2023, 6:03 PM
@pitbull76 - Yep, me too along with my 3 and 7 year old daughters who LOVE Disney princesses (will probably drag the wife in to watch as well, but she'll probably be looking at her phone most of the time).
pitbull76
pitbull76 - 5/26/2023, 7:39 PM
@StSteven - you know I'm not ashamed to admit I'm 46 no kids and still going to support it.hope you're kids really injoy it my friend.
StSteven
StSteven - 5/26/2023, 7:53 PM
@pitbull76 - Well I'm 47 and when my oldest daughter asked me not too log ago who my favorite Disney Princess was I said "Ariel" and I'm not ashamed to admit that. I'm also not ashamed to admit that every time I watch "Transformers: The Movie" ('86) I tear up whenever Prime dies and also when Hotrod becomes Rodimus Prime. Nothing wrong with being a grown up and still being moved by the things we grew up with.
pitbull76
pitbull76 - 5/26/2023, 7:57 PM
@StSteven - I feel you on the on the transformers but the animation version of little mermaid was after ny time.
StSteven
StSteven - 5/26/2023, 8:15 PM
@pitbull76 - Well I didn't "grow up" on "The Little Mermaid" per se (I'm the same age as you), but of the modern Disney animated movies (i.e. post-"Snow White", "Cinderella", etc. which I did watch as a kid), "The Little Mermaid" was the one that I liked the most when I was that age, mainly because of the underwater aspect (I'm a salt-water fish enthusiast among other things) and the catchy tunes. After that I'd have to say "Aladdin", but that was mainly because of Robin Williams (and also the catchy tunes).
Radders
Radders - 5/30/2023, 8:32 AM
@pitbull76 - I'd go with "Mocking" rather than trolling :-)
pitbull76
pitbull76 - 5/30/2023, 9:41 AM
@Radders - lmao
bobevanz
bobevanz - 5/26/2023, 7:56 AM
I'm just glad my fiance didn't make me go, Pinocchio was the last straw
bobevanz
bobevanz - 5/26/2023, 7:57 AM
@bobevanz - I'll wait for the Pixar remakes
Usernametaken
Usernametaken - 5/26/2023, 9:11 AM
@bobevanz - People should watch the Guillermo Del Toro's version of Pinocchio, and realize that Disney just does not give a shit about making good movies.
Oskir
Oskir - 5/26/2023, 8:14 AM
But but but I though people were tired of « woke » movies ?
Oh wait there were just a minority stupid loud people on twitter my bad
AllsGood
AllsGood - 5/26/2023, 8:21 AM
@Oskir - Massive majority of the world population isn't white Americans which is actually the very small minority in the world. The world doesn't want to see white men always being the hero.
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