Disney‘s live-action The Little Mermaid is swimming toward Memorial Day Weekend with a song in its heart and dollar signs in its eyes. The latest version of the Disney animated classic is tracking toward a $110M 4-day opening. That number puts The Little Mermaid in the top eight spots for a Memorial Day Weekend release. The upcoming musical won’t touch Top Gun: Maverick’s $160.5M Memorial Day start, but $110M is an outstanding total nonetheless.
Disney has a history of releasing films on Memorial Day Weekend, including Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, which earned $153M, the studio’s highest total for the 4-day holiday debut. Disney’s live-action adaptation of Aladdin earned $116.8M in 2019, placing the Guy Ritchie-directed fantasy film slightly above The Little Mermaid’s expected launch.
Rob Marshall directs this bold vision for the beloved story of Ariel, a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. The film stars Halle Bailey (grown-ish) as Ariel, Daveed Diggs (Hamilton, Snowpiercer) as the voice of Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay (Luca, Good Boys) as the voice of Flounder, Awkwafina (The Bad Guys, The Farewell), as the voice of Scuttle, Jonah Hauer-King (A Dog’s Way Home) as Prince Eric, Art Malik (Homeland) as Sir Grimsby, Noma Dumezweni (Mary Poppins Returns) as Queen Selina, Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men) as King Triton, and Melissa McCarthy as the villain Ursula.
In Disney’s live-action version of The Little Mermaid, the youngest of King Triton’s daughters and the most defiant, Ariel, longs to learn more about the world beyond the sea and falls for the dashing Prince Eric while visiting the surface. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She strikes 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.
Written by two-time Oscar nominee David Magee, with a live-action story adaptation by Magee, Marshall, and two-time Emmy winner John DeLuca, The Little Mermaid, is inspired by the short story by Hans Christian Andersen and the Disney animated classic by Ron Clements and John Musker.
New footage from The Little Mermaid screened at this year’s CinemaCon, offering guests a look at Disney’s latest live-action adventure under the sea. While the music impressed guests of the event, many noted the film’s dark presentation, saying it was difficult to see the details of Ariel’s underwater kingdom. Theater conditions could affect the film’s look, but Disney’s live-action adaptations could be more well-lit. 2019’s Aladdin suffered from the same visual problem, but people still appeared in droves to enjoy the fantasy fun.
Will you see The Little Mermaid during Memorial Day Weekend? Let us know in the comments below.
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