'The Little Mermaid' Breaks Box Office Records
We love to see “bright young women, sick of swimming, ready to stand.”
Disney‘s live-action The Little Mermaid film is setting box office records as the Halle Bailey-led film is the fifth-highest Memorial Day opening film in history.
The PG-rated movie earned $96 million USD of the $118 million USD grossing from the three of the four-day weekend. Globally, the film has cashed in $68.3 million USD from 51 international markets, not yet reaching its $250 million USD production budget.
“It’s a classic,” Tony Chambers, Disney’s head of distribution, shares. “You ask a lot of women or men of my age and it’s The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast that rank as their favorite animated movie. It’s a story that takes them back to their respective childhoods and this movie is the perfect opportunity for a lot of people to pass that love on to the next generation.”
The film has been so successful because of its impactful representation for all women, but Black women especially. Bailey expressed this sentiment in a recent interview, saying, “I’m really excited for my version of the film because we’ve definitely changed that perspective of just her wanting to leave the ocean for a boy. It’s way bigger than that. It’s about herself, her purpose, her freedom, her life and what she wants. As women we are amazing, we are independent, we are modern, we are everything and above. And I’m glad that Disney is updating some of those themes.”
We love to see “bright young women, sick of swimming, ready to stand.”
