Looks like everybody wanted to be part of Ariel’s world as The Little Mermaid conquered the holiday weekend. Over three days, the film earned $104M and $117.5M over four, making this the best debut for any of Disney’s live-action remakes and the fifth-best Memorial Day weekend opening of all time. This tops Aladdin which opened to $116.8M in 2019, also over the Memorial Day weekend, which went on to make over $1 billion. Will The Little Mermaid match that? It’s hard to say, as it will be facing some stiff competition next weekend from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. But this is a strong start.
However, it should be noted that this opening is lower than anticipated. The Little Mermaid was eyed to debut in the $120M-$130M range. But even falling short of that, this premiere is pretty solid.
Critics aren’t crazy about this remake. Its Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score is 68% which is still fresh, but not glowing. But audiences are eating this up. Its certified audience score is 95%. Exiting audiences gave it an A via CinemaScore, matching those of Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King. Via PostTrak, The Little Mermaid scored a 91% positive.
The Little Mermaid snatched the #1 spot away from last week’s winner, Fast X. That film is hanging ion with an additional $28.4M, bringing its domestic total to $113.4M and its global total to $500M. This also pushes this franchise over the $7B mark worldwide.
Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 3 is in the #3 spot, with $26.6M, bringing its domestic total to $306M. Globally, it has passed $730M.
Despite being available digitally, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is still in the top five, earning an additional $8.2M to land at #4. But once again, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse opens next weekend, so that may snap up the family market.
One new movie managed to hit the Top Five, The Machine starring standup comedian Bert Kreischer and Mark Hamill. This comedy managed to take in $6.2M for a fifth-place finish. Exiting audiences gave it a 78% positive via PostTrak while its RT audience score is a rousing 90%. Critics hated it though. It has a Tomatometer score of 24%.
Like a lot of the female-driven movies over the past few weeks, this seems like a movie that would thrive on streaming, so maybe audiences are waiting for that.
You can check out the Top Five below:
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- The Little Mermaid (Disney) – 3-day $104M/ 4-day $120-$130M/ Wk 1
- Fast X (Universal) – 3-day $22.8M/ 4-day $28.4M/ Total $113.4M/ Wk 2
- Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 (Disney) – 3-day $20.6M/ 4-day $26.6M/ Total $306M/ Wk 4
- The Super Mario Bros Movie (Universal) – 3-day $6.2M/ 4-day $8.2M/ Total $560.8M/ Wk 8
- The Machine (Legendary/Sony) – 3-day $5.2M/ 4-day $6.2M/ Wk 1
The Little Mermaid faces major competition next weekend from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse which will take over the larger format screens.
The first Spider-Verse movie wasn’t a massive hit, although it did win the Academy Award for Best Animated Picture. It did pick up a larger following once it hit home video and streaming. The sequel is expected to open much higher that Into the Spider-Verse, in the $70-$80M range.
Come back next week to see how this picture does.
Did you check out The Little Mermaid this weekend? What are you looking forward to seeing in the theater?
