HomeDisney NewsThe Little Mermaid Bombs in China

The Little Mermaid Bombs in China

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While ‘The Little Mermaid’ made $95 million in its first three days domestically, it only made $2.63 million for the same period in China. Making it Disney’s worst opening in China. Meanwhile, the country loves racing as ‘Fast X’ is at $113 million in China. Blue cat people were also popular at the Chinese box office as ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ hit $235.4 million.

‘The Little Mermaid’ was already headed for an iceberg, with Chinese presales only hitting $13,000. Opening day did fare better with a $550,000 total, and the three-day period ended at under $3 million.

Not a win with Chinese audiences.

In the past, Disney has focused heavily on the Chinese box office. They even changed their story for ‘Mulan,’ removing a kiss, to appeal better to that audience. When the film was released, it did not perform well, even with the changes.

Disney was able to release the film in China, which was originally seen as a “win” considering the country has been denying many big US releases. However, the return was likely well under the cost of marketing and bringing the film over, putting it “under water.”

Maybe Disney will be choosier about what releases they focus on for the Chinese market going forward.

Stateside, ‘The Little Mermaid’, will perform well for the four-day Memorial Day weekend, likely coming in between $117.5 -$121 million. Putting just past the ‘Aladdin’ opening at $113 million (without adjusting for inflation.)

Globally it is not performing as well overall, coming in at around $68.1 million in 51 markets. Making the global take around $163.5 for three days and $185.6 -$189 million with the 4-day domestic box office take.

Given the amount of money Disney has been spending on marketing for this film, along with the reported $200-$250 million budget, the film still has a long way to go to break even or be considered a success.

With the lack of interest globally, it might be harder for the film to hit the coveted $1 billion mark that Disney was likely going for. It’s too early to say how possible that goal is. But they can not count on China.

What do you think? Comment and let us know.


Pirates & Princesses (PNP) is an independent, opinionated fan-powered news blog that covers Disney and Universal Theme Parks, Themed Entertainment and related Pop Culture from a consumer's point of view. Opinions expressed by our contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of PNP, its editors, affiliates, sponsors or advertisers. PNP is an unofficial news source and has no connection to The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal or any other company that we may cover.



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