The live-action The Little Mermaid has already hit theaters and has become one of the biggest proofs of the racism we continue to live with every day. The film has grossed more than 117 million 500 thousand dollars in the United States and Canada, and another 68 million 300 thousand dollars at the international box office.
However, the numbers are considered disappointing by The Hollywood Reporter and other media. Why?
Is The Little Mermaid a Hit or a Flop?
Disney’s film caused controversy since 2019 when it was announced that it would star an African-American actress, and it was sullied before the ‘critical’ eyes of the world… as if we haven’t had time to assimilate it. Since before its release, it became Disney’s most controversial film and brought out racism, sexism, and violence in society, so we are not so sure that this supposed “failure” is because the film is really bad, but because people think it is bad because it stars a black woman.
If we talk about numbers, Aladdin grossed a total of 1 billion 54 thousand dollars, which would indicate that Rob Marshall’s underwater adventure would have a much higher profit. But, so far, this has not been the case. The $68 million was below the forecast of $185 million, considering the poor reception in China with only $2.5 million.
Mexico was the best market for the live-action The Little Mermaid after the U.S., grossing $8.5 million, and Europe was below $7 million. The Little Mermaid should gross approximately a minimum of 6 billion dollars to be considered profitable, taking into account the cost of production and advertising investment.
Real or Fake?
It’s not a problem with the movie, it’s the people who immediately turned against the film since its announcement, even more so when the first images of Halle as Ariel were released. People wanted it to be a failure to justify it with: “She’s not the original Ariel,” “It’s all their fault for not putting a white mermaid,” and many other despicable comments that we don’t intend to repeat.
The Little Mermaid was a “failure” because of racism, and protests against skin color, because, according to some speeches, the live-action does not adapt to the original version. As if nothing had changed since 1989, as if society should not have grown and matured in three decades.
The reasons why The Little Mermaid is still not a profitable film have nothing to do with the special effects, maybe the performances or whether or not it is a good movie… it is because of racism and discrimination.
Story written in Spanish by Kate Nateras in Cultura Colectiva
