Disney’s live-action reimagining of “The Little Mermaid” made a big splash on Disney+ over the weekend, breaking records as it made its debut on the streamer.
‘The Little Mermaid’ Breaks Streaming Records for Disney+
The live-action remake starring Halle Bailey as Ariel made its Disney+ debut on September 6, 2023.
According to a press release shared by Disney, the film is now the “most viewed Disney movie premiere on Disney+ since ‘Hocus Pocus 2.'” The film also amassed 16 million views in its first five days streaming on the service. Per Disney, a “view” on Disney+ is defined as “total stream time divided by runtime.”
This follows the film’s strong box office numbers, which opened over Memorial Day weekend to $118.6 million in North America, and finished out the summer as one of the top five highest-grossing films of that time domestically with almost $300 million. To date, “The Little Mermaid” has earned $570 million at the global box office, and is among 2023’s top 10 films worldwide.
The film was received well by audiences, earning it a 94 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 67 percent Tomatometer score from critics. You can read our review of the film here.
Live-Action ‘The Little Mermaid’
Oscar-nominated Rob Marshall, known for his work with “Chicago” and Disney’s “Mary Poppins Returns,” directs “The Little Mermaid.” The remake stars Halle Bailey as mermaid princess Ariel, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian the crab, Awkwafina as diving bird Scuttle, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Javier Bardem as King Triton, and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula. Noma Dumezweni portrays the new character Queen Selina, Eric’s mother.
Alan Menken, who wrote the score for the original 1989 “The Little Mermaid,” made some lyrical updates for the live-action remake, with help from Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Did you watch “The Little Mermaid” on Disney+ this past weekend? Or did you catch it while it was in theaters? What did you think? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
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