Deadline (via Toonado.com) reports that The Little Mermaid is currently tracking to open with a $110 million haul over the 4-day Memorial Day weekend.
While that figure pales in comparison to last year's Top Gun: Maverick (which opened with a record-breaking $160.5 million), it's a great start for a movie many believe will ultimately rank among 2023's highest-grossing titles.
Disney likes this particular holiday weekend as Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End debuted with $153 million in 2007. Aladdin also scored an impressive $116.8 million prior to the pandemic in 2019. We've yet to see any social media reactions or reviews for The Little Mermaid, but if they're overwhelmingly positive, this $110 million figure could easily begin to rise.
This weekend, Marvel Studios will release Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, another move that's expected to open with $110 million, albeit over three days instead of four. It may even go as high as $120 million, but ComicBookMovie.com will keep you updated on that.
In The Little Mermaid, the youngest of King Triton’s daughters, and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea, and while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart.
She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land, but ultimately places her life – and her father’s crown – in jeopardy.
The Little Mermaid stars singer and actress Halle Bailey as Ariel, Daveed Diggs as the voice of Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay as the voice of Flounder, Awkwafina as the voice of Scuttle, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Art Malik as Sir Grimsby, Noma Dumezweni as Queen Selina, with Javier Bardem as King Triton, and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula.
Helmed by filmmaker Rob Marshall, the movie opens in theaters on May 26, 2023.