Ariel is making a splash on Disney Plus! The Little Mermaid (2023), starring Halle Bailey as Ariel, was released on May 26, 2023. The live-action film was met with much controversy before its release. Many reacted to another Disney movie remake and how it was unnecessary to touch the classic story. Additionally, thoughts were shared on the disagreement about Bailey playing the leading Princess. Regardless of the naysayers, The Little Mermaid did wonders at the box office and now on Disney’s streaming service.
According to Rotten Tomatoes, Tomatometer only gave the film a 67% rating, which isn’t awful, but the audience score was 94% with over 10,000 verified ratings. The film “opened over Memorial Day weekend to $118.6 million in North America—was one of the top five highest-grossing films of the summer domestically with nearly $300 million,” Disney wrote. I think it’s safe to say the film was well enjoyed and a summer hit.
The Little Mermaid stayed true to the original story from the animated film released in 1989. There were new and fun additions to the film, making it up to par with today’s standards yet still the love story we all know and love. With the vibrant colors, insanely cool use of CGI, and Bailey’s breathtaking voice, many (including myself) have been eager for the release of the film on Disney’s streaming service, Disney Plus.
‘The Little Mermaid’ Record Breaking Views
The new live-action was released over the weekend, bringing ‘Under The Sea’ and other catchy tunes to living rooms worldwide. The Walt Disney Company reported today that The Little Mermaid “is the most viewed Disney movie premiere on Disney+ since Hocus Pocus 2 (2022), garnering 16 million views in its first five days streaming.”
Moreover, the film is among 2023’s top ten films worldwide to date. Even more exciting, the film earned $570 million at the global box office. The saying “numbers don’t lie” speaks volumes to the success of The Little Mermaid. Scott Gustin wrote on X, “In this new world of Disney giving us viewing metrics on Disney+, it’s important to note: “A view is defined as total stream time divided by runtime.” 36 million viewing hours divided by 2 hours 15 min runtime equals 16 million views.”
Have you seen The Little Mermaid yet?