Halle Bailey’s The Little Mermaid continues to be affected by review-bombing and conflicting ideology. But this time, noting statistical figures, YouTuber and box office analyst OMB Reviews declared the live adaptation of the 1989 movie as a massive flop for Disney, following the film’s second weekend at the box office.
Halle Bailey’s The Little Mermaid Is Making Next To Nothing Globally!
As critics continue to refer to The Little Mermaid as “pointless” and a “woke agenda” to portray a black actress in a traditionally red-haired, and white, role, Halle Bailey‘s movie’s box office performance, approximately ten days into its theatrical release, is speaking it all.
In a video referring to the movie’s past weekend’s box office numbers, OMB Reviews declared that the Rob Marshall-directed film dropped 58% domestically and is still making “next to nothing internationally”. It was further added:
“And let’s just say that film is essentially guaranteed to not only flop but also to be a massive flop for Disney and could ultimately be one of the worst performing movies in their entire history.
Now, of course, this is all on the fact that many people when looking at the box office are failing in the comparisons especially to Aladdin to remind themselves that the ticket prices back in 2019 were very different than what they are today.
And also, of course, as everyone loves to always hear and as everyone always wants to get triggered by, the rate of inflation has changed as well.”
The Little Mermaid Is Shrouded In Debate And Politicization
If one goes by the statistics, OMB Review’s statement that the “movie will be turning black any time soon,” sadly sounds true. Having a global gross of $326.7 million against its reported production budget of $250 million, the remake is being compared to Alladin (2019) which was released on Memorial Day and grossed $778 million internationally.
Given the kind of backlash and polarization that the movie has suffered since the beginning, it is fair to suggest that the practice of review-bombing led to an adverse effect on the film’s box office performance.
Recently, singer Paloma Faith dissed The Little Mermaid for its boy-chasing tropes, and questioned the movie’s team for picking up the archaic concept, as “Ariel gives up her own voice to become a human” to be with her love interest, Prince Eric.
Apart from this, the movie also faced backlash for portraying Halle Bailey as The Little Mermaid, a role that many believe belongs to a white actress. In a previous interview, Bailey admitted that she always “envisioned Ariel as the fair-skinned, red-headed mermaid”, courtesy of the original 1989 animated film. She said:
“Getting that role felt very surreal. It was much of a shocker for me. Even when I was asked to audition, I looked at it and I was like, ‘Me? For Ariel?'”
Despite its poor international box office performance, especially grossing only $2.5 million during the opening weekend from the all-important Chinese market, the movie undoubtedly remains memorable for both the director and the 23-year-old actress, who is representing the black community at large. And then, there is always hope!
The Little Mermaid was released on May 26, 2023, and is up and running in theatres.
