Disney’s newest live-action film, The Little Mermaid, raked in $117.5 million at the U.S. box office over the holiday weekend, coming in at the fifth-best opening for Memorial Day weekend in history, according to Box Office Mojo.
The remake of the 1989 Disney animated classic stars Halle Bailey as Ariel. Although critics widely praised Bailey’s character adaptation, the movie got a mixed reaction. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, only 67% of critics gave the film a positive review.
General audiences were much more delighted with the film, with 95% giving it a thumbs up on Rotten Tomatoes.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, the film’s director, Rob Marshall, called critics’ complaints about casting a Black actor “small-minded.” Many have argued that casting a Black actress in the role helps Black children feel represented in popular culture.
Despite the movie’s controversy, it was among the most successful films ever to debut on Memorial Day, Box Office Mojo reported.
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