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Post by veu on May 28, 2023 16:24:51 GMT -5
Amc website is currently selling #TheLittleMermaid merchandise, including the popcorn bucket.
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Post by veu on May 28, 2023 14:13:47 GMT -5
Source: variety.com/2023/film/news/little-mermaid-memorial-day-box-office-fast-x-disney-1235627238/‘The Little Mermaid’ Dominates Memorial Day Box Office With $118 Million Debut
By Brent Lang
halle bailey is the little mermaid in disney's new remake Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Thirty-five years after the animated story of Ariel, a flame-haired siren of the sea who falls for a prince, charmed audiences, a live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid” dominated the Memorial Day weekend box office. The Disney release is on track to debut to a massive $118 million over the four-day holiday, with $96 million of that coming over the three-day frame. It ranks as the fifth highest Memorial Day opening in history.
The film got a lift from many of the same moviegoers who first fell in love with Ariel when she flitted across the big screen in 1988, as well as from the generations of fans who weren’t alive when the original opened, but who were nevertheless weaned on the movie from its various appearances on DVD, television and, in more recent years, streaming.
“It’s a classic,” said Tony Chambers, Disney’s head of distribution. “You ask a lot of women or men of my age and it’s ‘Little Mermaid’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast’ that rank as their favorite animated movie. It’s a story that takes them back to their respective childhoods and this movie is the perfect opportunity for a lot of people to pass that love on to the next generation.”
The live-action “Little Mermaid” (and “live-action” is doing a lot of lifting here considering the sheer tonnage of CGI required to bring Ariel’s ocean home to life), was directed by Rob Marshall and stars Halle Bailey as the title character. Melissa McCarthy plays Ursula, the malevolent sea witch who steals Ariel’s voice in return for giving her legs and a chance to canoodle with the dreamy Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King). Javier Bardem, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay and Daveed Diggs round out the ensemble.
All that watery magic didn’t come cheap. “The Little Mermaid” has a $250 million production budget, so it will need to keep attracting crowds around the globe in order to break even. Internationally, the film grossed $68.3 million from 51 material markets.
In the U.S. 68% of the audience was female, while 25% of ticket buyers ranged in age between 25 to 34. Kids accounted for 22% of the opening weekend crowds.
Disney has had success with the strategy of raiding its storehouses and putting a live-action spin on animated properties such as “Aladdin” (reconfigured with Will Smith as the Genie), “Beauty and the Beast” (with Emma Watson portraying Belle) and “The Lion King” (a triumph of green screen effects that had very little in the way of real animals on the savannah).
“This gives Disney the green light to keep mining its vault,” says Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “With an opening this big, I think you’re going to keep seeing these live-action reboots.”
Elsewhere in the multiplexes, “Fast X,” the tenth mainline installment in the “Fast and Furious” franchise, continued to show signs of running on fumes, at least in the U.S. It’s estimated to bring in about $23 million in its second weekend and $28.7 million over the four-day holiday after launching to a soft $67 million. Stateside, the film has generated a disappointing $113.6 million. But Dom and his road crew are getting a much warmer reception overseas, with “Fast X” expected to cross the $500 million mark at the global box office this weekend, making it the third-highest grosser of the year. It needs to keep making money and lots of it. The latest chapter cost a knee-weakening $340 million to produce.
Disney’s “Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3” took third place with $20 million and an estimated $25.3 million for the four-day holiday, pushing its domestic total to a sizable $300 million. Universal and Illumination’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” came in fourth with $6.3 million over the weekend and an estimated $8.3 million during the holiday period. Domestically, the movie has made a gargantuan $560.9 million after eight weeks in theaters. A sequel to the video game adaptation can’t come soon enough for theater owners.
Arthouse favorite “You Hurt My Feelings,” an A24 release that reunites the “Enough Said” team of director Nicole Holofcener and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, will open to $1.4 million over the weekend and $1.8 million through the holiday.
Not every studio had reasons to celebrate as a trio of new releases bombed. “The Machine,” an action comedy from Sony and Legendary starring stand-up Bert Kreischer, collapsed with $4.9 million over the weekend and $5.8 million over the four-day holiday. “About My Father,” based on the life story of another popular comic, Sebastian Maniscalco, also failed to draw much interest. The Lionsgate release eked out $4.3 million over the weekend and $5.3 million during the four-day holiday. And the Open Road and Briarcliff release of Gerard Butler’s latest action opus “Kandahar” sputtered with a measly $2.4 million over the weekend and $3 million during the four-day period.
At the box office this weekend the chasm between the hits and the flops was truly yawning.
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Post by veu on May 28, 2023 14:11:41 GMT -5
Source: www.boxofficepro.com/weekend-box-office-little-mermaid-opening/Weekend Box Office: THE LITTLE MERMAID Swims to $95M, #5 Memorial Day Weekend Opening All Time News & Analysis • Boxoffice Staff • May 28 2023 The Little Mermaid Disney’s live-action remake debuted with $95.5M for the three-day opening, falling short of joining the club of $100M openers.
Compared to other notable Disney remakes and reimaginings, it opened below some films it was expected to match or beat, including Alice in Wonderland and The Jungle Book:
-7% below 2016’s The Jungle Book ($103.2M) -17% below 2010’s Alice in Wonderland ($116.1M) -45% below 2017’s Beauty and the Beast ($174.7M) -50% below 2019’s The Lion King ($191.7M) However, it did open +4% above 2019’s Aladdin ($91.5M).
Mermaid also earns the #5 Memorial Day weekend of all time – even though, in the most optimistic scenario, it could have potentially contended for #1. Instead, it falls behind:
2022’s Top Gun: Maverick ($126.7M) 2007’s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End ($114.7M) 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand ($102.7M) 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ($100.1M)
Demographics
Mermaid’s opening weekend audience was an estimated 68% female and 50% ages 25+.
That skews more female than 2017’s Beauty and the Beast (60%), with about the same age range (49% ages 25+).
Mermaid earned an “A” CinemaScore, the same as 2017’s Beauty and the Beast.
Premium formats comprised 38% of the domestic opening weekend:
17% from premium large format (PLF) 13% from 3D 6% from IMAX 2% from motion seating auditoriums
Overseas / global
Mermaid debuted with $68.3M overseas and $163.8M globally. That’s:
-53% behind the global opening of 2017’s Beauty and the Beast ($350.0M) -20% behind the global opening of 2019’s Aladdin ($207.1M) In particular, Mermaid opens with a weak $2.5M in China. Compared to the China openings for other Disney remakes or reimaginings, that’s:
-95% below The Lion King ($54.1M) -94% below The Jungle Book ($48.8M) -94% below Beauty and the Beast ($44.5M) -86% below Aladdin ($18.5M)
The top 10 overseas market totals for Mermaid include:
Mexico ($8.5M) U.K. ($6.3M) Italy ($4.7M) Brazil ($4.0M) Australia ($4.0M) France ($3.6M) Spain ($3.6M) South Korea ($2.8M) Argentina ($2.5M) China ($2.5M)
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Post by veu on May 28, 2023 14:10:53 GMT -5
Source: www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-05-28/little-mermaid-halle-bailey-disney-box-office-fast-xMOVIES ‘The Little Mermaid’ swims to the top of the box office
Halle Bailey presents a fork to a CGI seagull and fish under the CGI sea Halle Bailey as Ariel in Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.”(Disney)
BY CHRISTI CARRASSTAFF WRITER MAY 28, 2023 9:48 AM PT
Show more sharing options Disney’s live-action retelling of “The Little Mermaid” is making a big splash at the domestic box office this weekend, debuting in first place and collecting $95 million during its first three days in theaters, according to studio estimates. That total is expected to rise to $117.5 million by the end of the Memorial Day weekend.
The highly anticipated fantasy film matched early box office predictions, which projected that the movie would open to about $100 million in the United States and Canada during the normal three-day window and about $120 million through Monday.
Internationally, “The Little Mermaid” launched at $68.3 million for a global cumulative of $163.8 million.
Completing the top three (so far) this weekend are Universal Pictures’ “Fast X,” which nabbed $23 million in its sophomore outing for a North American total of $108 million as of Sunday; and Disney’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” which added $20 million in its fourth weekend for a North American cumulative of $299.4 million over the regular three-day period, according to studio estimates.
Directed by Rob Marshall, “The Little Mermaid” stars Halle Bailey as Ariel, a rebellious sea princess who dreams of becoming human. Among the supporting cast of the family film are Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Awkwafina as Scuttle and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula.
An updated version of the 1989 animated classic, “The Little Mermaid” scored the fifth biggest domestic opening of Disney’s live-action remakes, surpassing 2019’s “Aladdin” ($91.5 million). Rounding out the top five are 2019’s “The Lion King” ($191.8 million), 2017’s “Beauty and the Beast” ($174.8 million), 2010’s “Alice in Wonderland” ($116.1 million) and 2016’s “The Jungle Book” ($103.3 million), according to measurement firm Comscore.
The aquatic adventure also notched the fifth biggest Memorial Day weekend opening of all time in the United States and Canada, the studio reported.
‘The Little Mermaid’ left Halle Bailey ‘tired’ and ‘isolated.’ And she thanked God for it May 12, 2023
“The Little Mermaid” received a middling 67% “fresh” rating on review-aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes and a solid A grade from audiences polled by CinemaScore.
“If Bailey is less expressive in her non-singing moments — a flaw built into the story itself, once Ariel is magically divested of her voice — she nonetheless makes an empathetic, eminently see-worthy heroine,” writes Times film critic Justin Chang.
“‘The Little Mermaid’ ... has its visually garish moments, most of them in an underwater kingdom that looks like especially thin soup next to the recent ‘Avatar: The Way of Water.’ But down in the depths it does find stray passages of beauty — in the fabric-like plumage of the mermaids’ tails and especially in the pull-out-the-stops staging of ‘Under the Sea,’ still the movie’s most rousing number.”
Opening in wide release next weekend is Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios’ “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.”
MOVIESCOMPANY TOWN
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Post by veu on May 28, 2023 13:36:30 GMT -5
Source: deadline.com/2023/05/the-little-mermaid-global-opening-review-bombing-international-box-office-1235381992/#comments‘The Little Mermaid’ Splashes To $164M Global Bow, But There’s Something Fishy Overseas As Disney Pic Beset By Review-Bombing
By Nancy Tartaglione
May 28, 2023 9:36am
Refresh for latest…: Disney’s live-action take on The Little Mermaid is doing swimmingly at the domestic box office, with a three-day opening of $95.5M and a four-day projection of $117.5M. Factoring in the international box office bow of $68.3M, that makes for an estimated $163.8M global debut through Sunday. The offshore launch is lower than hoped for coming into the frame. But it bears noting there was something fishy going on in overseas markets with so-called review-bombing in such areas as France, Korea, Germany and beyond.
While the Rob Marshall-directed update has a 95% verified audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, film ratings websites overseas, including IMDB in the UK, Brazil and Mexico as well as AlloCiné in France, posted advisories during the rollout when negative user reviews appeared in questionable abundance.
As we noted in our global preview, The Little Mermaid was expected to be more of a domestic play at the outset. However, it’s fairly astonishing to see these overseas reactions — largely believed to be led by internet trolls.
In France, where Little Mermaid launched on Wednesday, AlloCiné wrote, “We are currently observing an unusual distribution of scores which demands the need for caution. We encourage you to make up your own mind about the film.” While not unprecedented, this is a rare move. To be fair, critics at some respected outlets including Libération, Première and Les Inrockuptibles did not like the movie, giving it just one star.
On IMDB, a warning reads: “Our rating mechanism has detected unusual voting activity on this title. To preserve the reliability of our rating system, an alternate weighting calculation has been applied.” That note appears on the U.S. and Canadian sites as well as those for the UK, Brazil and Mexico.
IMDB says it publishes weighted vote averages rather than raw data averages. “Although we accept and consider all votes received by users, not all votes have the same impact (or ‘weight’) on the final rating. When unusual voting activity is detected, an alternate weighting calculation may be applied in order to preserve the reliability of our system,” the website explains. However, it does not disclose the exact method used to generate the rating.
In Germany, Moviepilot showed a rating of .7 out of 10 before The Little Mermaid release – far lower than any comp title. Traction increased throughout the weekend, moving to a 5 rating.
Some gripes have been about murky lighting or even just the why of it all when remaking a classic. In some pockets of the world, there has sadly been racially-tinged commentary.
Korea’s SBS News reported heading into the weekend that the film had been subject to “ratings terrorism” in an article whose title Korean entertainment website Zapzee translated to “Backlash Against ‘Black Mermaid’: Appearance Ridiculed, Ratings Drop on Day One.”
On the ratings portal of Korea’s Naver over the past several days, there had been a trend of negative reviews receiving hundreds of likes, and positive reviews getting hundreds of thumbs down. On the day of release, the score was 1.96, which has since evolved to 6.67.
Many ultimately have praised Halle Bailey’s performance.
And, in China, it’s just a disaster. There is no audience score on Maoyan, unusual for a film already in release for several days. The box office through Sunday is a dismal RMB 17.7M ($2.5M) with Maoyan projecting a full run of about $4M.
Here are the Top 5 markets on the movie at open: Mexico ($8.5M), UK ($6.3M), Italy ($4.7M), Brazil ($4M) and Australia ($4M).
MORE…
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Post by veu on May 28, 2023 13:34:58 GMT -5
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Post by veu on May 28, 2023 13:33:19 GMT -5
Very beautiful this photo!
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Post by veu on May 28, 2023 7:43:18 GMT -5
Source: www.sportskeeda.com/tennis/news-coco-gauff-praises-halle-bailey-s-performance-ariel-the-little-mermaidCoco Gauff praises Halle Bailey’s performance as Ariel in 'The Little Mermaid' By S Shahi Modified May 28, 2023 10:10 GMT
Coco Gauff recently expressed her admiration for Halle Bailey’s portrayal of Ariel in the live-action remake of 'The Little Mermaid'.
The Little Mermaid is a 2023 American musical fantasy film directed by Rob Marshall and based on Disney’s 1989 animated film of the same name. The film stars Bailey as Ariel, a mermaid princess who dreams of exploring the human world and falls in love with Prince Eric, played by Jonah Hauer-King.
Actress and singer Bailey is best known as one half of the R&B duo Chloe x Halle with her sister Chloe Bailey. She made her acting debut in the TV series 'Grown-ish' in 2018.
Gauff took to instagram to post a story of her watching the movie and complimented Bailey’s beauty and talent.
“The Little Mermaid was so beautiful @hallebailey is a perfect Ariel”, Gauff captioned her story.Coco Gauff on Instagram Coco Gauff on Instagram
Bailey was cast as Ariel in The Little Mermaid in July 2019 after an extensive search that involved over 1,000 candidates. She has received praise for her performance from critics and fans alike.
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Post by veu on May 28, 2023 7:19:05 GMT -5
Source: screenrant.com/the-little-mermaid-2023-setting-location/Where The Little Mermaid 2023 Is Set BY MAE ABDULBAKI PUBLISHED 16 HOURS AGO Disney's The Little Mermaid live-action takes place in a new location from the original & the film's change makes a lot of sense for the adaptation.
Warning: This post contains mild spoilers for The Little Mermaid live-action
Disney’s The Little Mermaid got a live-action remake, and among some of the changes made included the film’s location. Directed by Rob Marshall and starring Halle Bailey as Ariel, The Little Mermaid swam into theaters on May 26, and featured a star-studded supporting cast. While the story remained loyal to the 1989 animated movie, the live-action adaptation made a few adjustments, including to its setting.
There’s a scene in The Little Mermaid that sees Ariel and Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) venturing into town on a wagon. There is a vibrancy to the scene as Ariel mingles briefly with the island’s population, dancing with them in the street while exploring the culture, artifacts, and goods they have to offer. It’s immediately clear that the live-action Little Mermaid is set in a new location, one that is distinct from the one in the animated classic. Though it’s different, Prince Eric’s kingdom is still an island, but one with a disparate aesthetic and feel than before. The film’s setting offers something new, taking influence from a real-life region.
The Little Mermaid Remake Hints At A Location Change From The Original Movie
Eric and Ariel peeking around a gate in The Little Mermaid (2023)
The Little Mermaid animation was set under the sea in the kingdom of Atlantica and its adjacent surface world, both of which were believed to be located in Denmark. It’s also where author Hans Christian Andersen, who penned the original story, was from. While the actual location of the 1989 is unknown, with many speculating it’s set somewhere in the Mediterranean, The Little Mermaid live-action changed things up in terms of its location, with the revelation that the film’s surface scenes take place across the ocean and south of Andersen’s homeland.
When Ariel and Eric look at the maps of Eric’s island kingdom and its surroundings, the film suggests its setting is now in the Caribbean, and the culture Ariel experiences while in town also indicates that the remake updated its location. Prince Eric’s castle, among other things, also draws from the Caribbean setting. The Little Mermaid actually filmed in London’s Pinewood Studios and the Italian island of Sardinia, which is a far cry from the Caribbean itself, though Prince Eric’s island kingdom is itself fictitious. All told, the film’s setting is reminiscent of a Caribbean atmosphere, with its street market, dancing, architecture, and the ocean’s clear waters making an impression on Ariel.
Why The Little Mermaid's Caribbean Setting Makes Sense For The Remake
the little mermaid location change
The Little Mermaid’s Caribbean setting is a refreshing change, and one that makes sense for the live-action film, especially when considering the famously Jamaican-accented Sebastian (Daveed Diggs gives the crustacean more of a Trinidadian accent). What’s more, the vibe and music of the original animation — notably in the memorable hits “Under the Sea” and “Kiss the Girl — already had a Caribbean feel to them. And since the movie’s cast is so diverse, a fictitious Caribbean setting works all the more. Moving The Little Mermaid live-action to the actual Caribbean, albeit a fictional one, fits into what has already been established in the story and adds to it, enhancing it and fleshing it out further.
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Post by veu on May 28, 2023 7:12:59 GMT -5
Source: deadline.com/2023/05/box-office-the-little-mermaid-1235380526/‘Little Mermaid’ Now Swimming To $121M+ Opening Boosted By $80M Promo Campaign, Biggest For Disney Live-Action Title – Sunday AM Update
By Anthony D'Alessandro Editorial Director/Box Office Editor
May 28, 2023 2:51am
THE LITTLE MERMAID, from left: Scuttle (voice: Awkwafina), Flounder (voice: Jacob Tremblay), Halle Bailey as Ariel, 2023. © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection Disney
SUNDAY AM: According to industry estimates, The Little Mermaid pulled in a $30m Saturday, which was the same amount of money Disney’s Aladdin pulled in on its Saturday over Memorial Day weekend; with revised outlook for the Rob Marshall directed musical at $97M-$98M over three days and $121M-$123M over four.
Despite the easing of grosses, that’s not a bad thing; this just happens when the industry projects out a 4-day weekend. Currently, Little Mermaid is right where it was expected to come in.
We’ve learned that The Little Mermaid had the biggest global promotional partner campaign for a Disney branded live-action title (not Lucasfilm or Marvel Cinematic Universe), estimated at $80M in value.
While there was no car partner, as is standard on a Marvel movie, Disney counted myriad ad partners:
–McDonald’s launched a Happy Meal program supported by an “under the sea fun” themed drive-thru.
–HSN and Disney teamed up with Regal to launch the first shoppable augmented reality experience of its kind for a collectible ticket, supported by a two-hour special.
–Mattel broke new ground with its manufacturing to create doll hair that depicts Ariel’s. The item was so hot, that the social presale drop sold out within 24 hours and was ranked No. 1 best seller in dolls across various retailers. In addition, they’ve created eight dolls to support the launch of the Mom Influencer Campaign focused on Black mothers, and launched a first-time global partnership to develop a custom TV spot.
–BOOKING.COM designed a bespoke listing for the Ultimate Little Mermaid Getaway that brought the ocean’s aesthetic to a home on land.
–ULTA partnered with two beauty brands, including Black Girl Sunscreen and Pacifica, for the first time ever and created a licensed collection of beauty products inspired by the film. Separately, Gelish created 36 film-inspired nail colors with 250k+ bottles available globally and a custom spot featured at Times Square.
–Kellogg’s made a splash at nearly 4K Walmart Stores with exclusive packs of Mermazing Berry, inspired by the film, as well as adding on-pack movie ticket offers to fan favorite cereals.
–Annie’s created a limited-edition line of snacks and pasta products featuring Ariel on-pack and a movie ticket offer on 4.1M+ packs.
–Pandora developed a custom The Little Mermaid collection with a global ad campaign over 80 markets.
–Carol’s Daughter – the first hair care brand to be on exhibit in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture- developed a limited-edition line of products accompanied by a campaign called Let Your Curls Sing with activations at mass and boutique retail, including a Movie Ticket Offer and influencer support.
The campaign for Little Mermaid fired off at D23 last year with Marshall and star Halle Bailey onstage, showing attendees a first look of “Part of Your World” and debuting the teaser trailer.
There was a big music integration that was key to the campaign, spread across theaters, music streamers, Amazon and influencers. There were digital and deluxe versions of the soundtrack in CD and vinyl. Additionally, Target will play custom content with talent and film footage in 1,800+ locations. Spotify had an exclusive playlist takeover; a Disney Hub Placement, TV & Movies Hub placement, and in-app card modal was launched. The film also took over SiriusXM’s Disney Hits channel. In addition, several social media influencers have been singing classic songs from the film.
RelishMix measured The Little Mermaid social awareness stats before the pic’s opening and it stood 36% above family live genre norms across Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok at 589.5 million. Comps included Sonic the Hedgehog (577M SMU/$58.1M), Detective Pikachu (569M SMU/$54.4M) and Dumbo (281M SMU/$46M). Disney social media pages and Disney music pumped this up. There was viral reposting with a strong rate of 31:1 off 19 videos on YouTube.
SATURDAY AM: Disney’s The Little Mermaid is staying on its great course, maintaining that $38M Friday (which includes previews) for what is shaping up to be an estimated $104M 3-day and a 4-day between $120M-$130M. At that upper part of the threshold, the pic is the third-best opening for a movie over Memorial Day weekend.
Audience exits are great, with an “A” CinemaScore (same grade as Disney’s live-action Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King). Screen Engine/Comscore’s PostTrak notched 91% positive and a 76% definite recommend, while kids under 12 were over the moon at 92% positive and a 69% definite recommend. Natch, heavy female leaning at 68%, with 61% between 18-34, and the largest demo being millennial 25-34 year olds at 35%. Diversity demos strong across the board, with 35% Black, 25% Latino and Hispanic, 26% Caucasian and 11% Asian. Most vibrant lands for Ariel were the East, South, and South Central.
All the PLFs went to her. However, Imax auditoriums were split between the Disney pic and Fast X getting later showtimes. Combined, PLFs and Imax rep 26% of the current ongoing weekend’s gross, with 3D delivering 14%. Biggest theater was the El Capitan in Los Angeles at a huge $177K Friday gross.
Next, there could be a war for number 2 between Universal’s Fast X and Disney’s Guardians of the Galaxy gang, though several studios show the former right now having the upper hand with a $22.8M second weekend, -66%, 4-day of $28.5M, and running 11-day total of $113.4M, which would be 7% behind the same frame as 2021’s F9.
And as we told you yesterday — the weekend’s counterprogramming looks awful. The lesson learned here is that if you’re going to do any kind of counterprogramming and want to make it work, it has to look better and more eventized than what you see on streaming (read the perfect storm June weekend last summer of Elvis and Black Phone). No, comedies aren’t broken. Both Machine and About My Father have their own inherent handicaps.
The first movie based on a stand-up’s routine, Legendary/Screen Gems’s The Machine starring Bert Kreischer, is aimed at blue collar crowds, while Lionsgate’s About My Father, starring big marquee comedian Sebastian Maniscalco, is aimed more at families and upscale, older moviegoers. Meaning the stand-up projects aren’t technically cannibalizing each other. They just look like something you see on Netflix. Nice try by both studios to grab an audience when everyone’s heading to the movies this weekend, and for putting movies in theaters, versus straight to streaming.
However, moviegoers already know what they want to see, and these titles, along with Briarcliff and Open Road’s Kandahar, aren’t demanding their attention. Studios are keen on that demand, and hence likely are lowering their P&A spend on these movies. It’s becoming clearer that the post-pandemic business formula for these lower-grossing films is for the studios to not lose their shirts in theatrical, and that some momentum is created to spill over into the greater ancillary market.
Machine did $2.2M on Friday at 2,409 theaters for what’s looking like a $5.2M 3-day, $6.2M 4-day. PostTrak wasn’t strong here with 78% positive, a 60% recommend, and dudes skewing 69%, with 63% between 25-44 and the largest quad 36% for the 25-34 audience. Caucasian showed up at 62%, with 18% Latino and Hispanic, 8% Black and 13% Asian/other. Pic was soft everywhere. However, the Midwest is where Kreischer played, as the pic delivered over 17% of its business there vs. a norm of 11%. AMC Burbank is the top theater in the country with $7K so far. Eeks. That said, there were sellout shows for the live preview gross of the film on Thursday. The movie cost $20M, and Sony gets a fee.
About My Father is seeing a $1.46M Friday, with a 4-day at $5M at 2,464 theaters. Who doesn’t want to see Maniscalco’s life story on the screen? I was the first in line to watch this, and he killed at CinemaCon 2022, when Lionsgate had the stand-up host their presentation. However, it’s clear, despite the difference in the story, the pic looks like Meet the Parents all over again, and everyone has seen that. Audiences who showed up gave it a B+ CinemaScore, with PostTrak not that far behind at 80% positive, 51% recommend. Women were 54% dominant, with a very older skewing audience at 52% over 45. The biggest demo was over 55 at 34%. Moviegoer make-up was 62% Caucasian, 14% Latino and Hispanic, 10% Black, and 13% Asian/other. About My Father‘s only good area was the East, with 23% of the gross coming from there, vs. a norm of 19%. Cinemark Palace in Boca Raton was the best movie theater with around $5K yesterday, which tells you how old this comedy is playing.
The Open Road/Briarcliff release of Gerard Butler’s Kandahar posted $920K yesterday, for what’s looking to be a $2.5M 3-day and 4-day of $3.1M at 2,105 theaters. Like Liam Neeson and Nic Cage, Butler just has a plethora of these meat and potato action films, and they’re no longer marquee draws. Theatrical is used simply to spur the downstream market. B+ CinemaScore, PostTrak at 75%, and a 36% recommend, with 61% guys showing up and 59% between 18-34, and 25-34 year olds the biggest quad at 34%. Diversity demos were 59% Caucasian, 12% Black, 11% Latino and Hispanic, and 17% Asian/other. Kandahar played soft everywhere but best in the West and South. The Regal Fresno saw the best gross on Friday at around $3K.
Nicole Holofcener’s You Hurt My Feelings did $474K on Friday, for an estimated $1.3M 3-day and $1.6M at 912 theaters. Exits were 75% positive, with a 42% recommend. Oddly a guy skewing film at 58% for this Julia Louis Dreyfus sophisticated romantic comedy. The 25-44 bunch repped 56% with the 25-34 year olds also the most to show up at 34%, which is also a headscratcher. The film just feels older and a throwback to what Woody Allen use to do. Diversity demos were 61% Caucasian, 16% Latino and Hispanic, 10% Black and 13% Asian/other. You Hurt My Feelings played best in the East and West. The AMC Lincoln Square, of course, is the top of the heap for the movie at around $6K yesterday.
Chart as of Saturday AM:
1) Little Mermaid (Dis) 4,320 theaters, Fri $38M, 3-day $104M, 4-day $120-$130M/Wk 1
2) Fast X (Uni) 4,088 (+42) theaters, Fri $6.3M (-78%), 3-day $22.8M (-66%), 4-day $28.4M, Total $113.4M/Wk 2
3) Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 (Dis) 3,940 (-510) theaters, Fri $5.4M (-36%) 3-day $20.6M (-36%) 4-day $26.6M, Total $306M/Wk 4
4) The Super Mario Bros Movie (Uni) 3,148 (-392) theaters, Fri $1.65M (-29%) 3-day $6.2M (-35%), 4-day $8.2M, Total $560.8M/Wk 8
5) The Machine (Leg/Sony) 2,409 theaters, Fri $2.2M 3-day $5.2M, 4-day $6.2M/Wk 1
6) About My Father (LG) 2,464 theaters, Fri $1.46M 3-day $4.1M 4-day $5M/Wk 1
7) Kandahar (OR/Briar) 2,105 theaters, Fri $920K 3-day $2.5M 4-day $3.1M /Wk 1
8) You Hurt My Feelings (A24) 912 theaters Fri $474K 3-day $1.3M 4-day $1.6M/Wk 1
9) Evil Dead Rise (NL) 921 (-1,252 theaters) Fri $300K (-57%) 3-day $1M (-57%) 4-day $1.3M Total $66.4M/Wk 6
10) Book Club: Next Chapter (Foc) 1,339 (-2,174) theaters, Fri $250K (-73%), 3-day $910K (-70%) 4-day $1.18M, Total $16.3M/Wk 3
FRIDAY LATE AFTERNOON: As we told you, once a Disney princess film gets momentum, well, it’s wandering free at the box office. Such is the case for The Little Mermaid, which after $10.3M in previews is seeing $38M for Friday, which will result in a $105M 3-day, and a $125M 4-day opening at 4,320 theaters per sources.
Again, a great result for a predominantly female-skewing tentpole; it’s the smaller movies aimed at women that the marketplace is still on the fence about. Little Mermaid‘s success here with female moviegoers also paves the way for another big summer pic: Warner Bros’ Barbie at the end of July.
Among the top openings for Memorial Day weekend: Top Gun: Maverick ($160.5M last year), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End ($153M, 2007), but then there’s also Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull which never had its Thursday opening day of $25M rolled into its four day, so the Friday-Monday take for that film is $126.9M, with a 5-day Thursday-Monday haul of $152M back in 2008. At that pecking order, Little Mermaid is bound to be the third best 4-day Memorial Day debut. Hands down, Little Mermaid buries Aladdin‘s 4-day start over the holiday of $116.8M to become the best for a live-action take on a Disney toon.
That preview figure of $10.3M is rolled into Friday’s figure and also counts $850K from the special Wednesday fan showtimes. Overall, Ariel’s preview number is the seventh-best ever for a PG- or G-rated title.
After Little Mermaid, May tentpole holdovers Universal’s Fast X and Disney’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 give the holiday weekend a spine. However, the counterprogramming– Legendary/Screen Gems’ The Machine, Lionsgate’s Sebastian Maniscalco comedy About My Father and Open Road/Briarcliff’s Gerard Butler movie, Kandahar, are for nothing. We’ll make sense of these pics’ fates as they make their way through the weekend. See numbers below.
1) Little Mermaid (Dis) 4,320 theaters, Fri $38M, 3-day $105M, 4-day $125M/Wk 1
2) Fast X (Uni) 4,088 (+42) theaters, Fri $6M (-79%), 3-day $21.8M (-67%), 4-day $27.2M, Total $112.1M/Wk 2 (read the review)
3) Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 (Dis) 3,940 (-510) theaters, Fri $5.4M (-36%) 3-day $20.6M (-36%) 4-day $26.6M, Total $306M/Wk 4 (read the review) James Gunn’s MCU swan song will cross the $300M mark in its 24th day of theatrical release on Sunday. GOTG 2 hit that number in 17 days. The first Guardians took 44 days to the three-century mark stateside.
4) The Super Mario Bros Movie (Uni) 3,148 (-392) theaters, Fri $1.65M (-29%) 3-day $6.2M (-35%), 4-day $8.2M, Total $560.8M/Wk 8 (read the review)
5) The Machine (Leg/Sony) 2,409 theaters, Fri $2.4M 3-day $6.3M, 4-day $7.8M/Wk 1 The is right where Sony was expecting this service deal to come in. Critics are asking themselves why they sat through it at 33%, but comedian Bert Kreischer has a fanbase at 96%. (Read the review.)
6) About My Father (LG) 2,464 theaters, Fri $1.3M 3-day $3.8M 4-day $4.7M/ Wk 1 Currently this is slightly under what Lionsgate was expecting. One would think the Sebastian Maniscalco crowd would be showing up. Critics don’t get it at 30% Rotten, audiences do get the joke at 75%. (Read the review)
7) Kandahar (OR/Briar) 2,105 theaters, Fri $550K 3-day $1.64M 4-day $2M /Wk 1 The meat-and-potatoes action movie is play for guys with the plan to get this pic straight into its ancillaries, where it will make bank. Remember this happened with the Lionsgate/STX Guy Ritchie title Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (which opened to $3.1M in March and ended at $6.4M after 21 days in theaters). Critics are at 43% Rotten, audiences better at 75%. (Read the review.)
8) You Hurt My Feelings (A24) 912 theaters, Fri $300K 3-day $890K 4-day $1.1M /Wk 1 The upscale comedy starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and directed by Nicole Holofcener generated lots of laughs at its Sundance premiere. Rotten Tomatoes critics are 95% certified fresh on it, but RT audiences not so much at 57%. (Read the review.)
EXCLUSIVE, late Thursday PM: Sources are telling us that Disney’s Rob Marshall-directed The Little Mermaid is singing some high notes tonight of $10M+ in previews. Should that figure exceed $10.8M it will rep the 6th highest preview performance among PG and G rated titles in motion picture history. Tracking pegged the Halle Bailey movie at a $120M 4-day start over Memorial Day.
Remember, that preview cash is made up of Wednesday 6PM fan screenings at 500 premium screen theaters and early shows which began at 3PM today.
Even more impressive, Little Mermaid‘s preview figure bests that of Disney’s live action take of animated toon, Aladdin, from Memorial Day weekend 2019; that Will Smith pic doing $7M before grossing $31.3M on its first Friday for a $116.8M 4-day. Little Mermaid also easily beats the $2.3M previews (8PM start) of 2015’s Cinderella, which had a $23M first day, $67.8M start. However, Little Mermaid is swimming slower than Disney’s live action Beauty and the Beast from 2017 which did $16.3M, for a $63.7M Friday and $174.7M opening.
Female skewing movies, like Twilight for instance, often get a bad rep for being front-loaded. However, once a mass-appealing Disney princess movie fires up from its opening, it doesn’t let go. Beauty and the Beast only eased around -2% between its Thursday previews/Friday and Saturday business. Frozen 2 was +19% over a similar period while Aladdin, which starred Princess Jasmine, only eased -4% between its Thursday night/Friday and Saturday.
Though critics on Little Mermaid waned to 68% fresh, audiences on Rotten Tomatoes are very happy at 95%
We’re just getting started here.
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Post by veu on May 28, 2023 7:09:13 GMT -5
Source: www.polygon.com/23737877/little-mermaid-2023-ending-sequel-return-to-the-seaThe end of the live-action Little Mermaid makes the animated sequel impossible The original movie’s best line is still intact — but in a new context that overwrites Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea
By Petrana Radulovic May 27, 2023, 1:54pm EDT 4 Comments / 4 New
Halle Bailey as Ariel, breaching upon a rock and crooning to the sky Image: Disney
The line that gets me every da** time I watch the 1989 animated version of The Little Mermaid isn’t one of the famous ones — a lyric from “Part of Your World,” Ariel’s defiant “But Daddy, I love him,” or even one of Sebastian’s quippy asides. It comes toward the end of the movie, when Triton finally realizes that Ariel will be happier on land, and uses his magical trident to give her legs. Afterward, he turns to Sebastian and says, “I guess there’s just one problem left — how much I’m going to miss her.”
That moment has more impact than any other line in the movie, because it disrupts the conventional “happily ever after” narrative. Unlike other Disney fairy-tale endings, the end of The Little Mermaid is deeply bittersweet. True love saves the day, and there’s a big wedding. But unlike Cinderella escaping from her abusive stepmother or Beauty and the Beast’s Belle reuniting with her father, Ariel leaves behind her loving family for a new life — and she can never return to the way things were.
The new 2023 live-action remake of The Little Mermaid keeps that line intact, but shifts the ending around it a bit in a way that overwrites the original movie’s sequel, The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea. But as it turns out, that isn’t a bad thing.
[Ed. note: This post contains spoilers for the 2023 Little Mermaid, and also for Return to the Sea.]
King Triton embracing Ariel on her wedding day in the 1989 animated Little Mermaid Image: Disney
Triton is a strict, overprotective parent, but like many parents, he does what he does because he believes he’s keeping his daughter safe. Unlike many parents, however, he realizes the error of his ways and takes the opportunity to rectify them. He has to let his daughter go in order to give her a chance to be happy. But still, he’s sad! It’s moving! It presents a possibility that strict dads are capable of growth and recognizing that what they want is not necessarily what their daughters want!
The idea that Ariel has to permanently break with Triton to achieve her dreams is emphasized again in the direct-to-VHS sequel, where she makes the difficult choice to cut off all contact with the undersea world to protect her daughter from Ursula’s vengeful sister. Though The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea is one of the better Disney direct-to-video sequels, that era isn’t necessarily known for good movies. But there’s a particularly poignant scene in this one, where a grown-up Ariel walks to the beach and dips her feet in the water, looking up to the sky and sighing that she misses her father.
An adult Ariel closes her eyes and dips a foot in sea water Image: Disney
While screenwriter David Magee and director Rob Marshall preserve many things from the 1989 animated movie in their live-action version — including giving the “I’m going to miss her” line to Javier Bardem as Triton, who delivers it with as much tenderness and sadness as it deserves — they make a smart choice to tweak the ending so it isn’t as painful. And in the process, they close the door on any potential adaptation of the direct-to-VHS sequel.
Ariel and Eric still get married in the 2023 movie version, but their wedding is way more low-key. The important thing is that they head off on a long sea journey together, indulging both of their desires for exploration, and hoping to extend diplomatic relations for Eric’s small island nation. As they’re on a rowboat, about to head out to their ship, Triton emerges from the water and looks gravely at Ariel and Eric. More and more merpeople pop out of the water, and Triton tells Ariel that they will always be here for her.
Javier Bardem as King Triton, looking sternly at Ariel Image: Disney
It’s a small detail, but it still changes the ending considerably. Ariel doesn’t have to choose between worlds. She feels happier and more comfortable in the human world, but a part of her will always be a mermaid. This time, though, instead of a goodbye, the ending feels more like a new chapter for Ariel and her relationship with the underwater world. Marshall and Magee sprinkle some fantasy conflict between merpeople and humans into this version, without ever really digging into it or resolving it. But that conflict makes an ending where Ariel doesn’t have to choose between worlds feel even more resonant.
There’s still a lot to dive into (ha) in a potential sequel. (Possible sequels for these live-action remakes keep getting announced.) And it wouldn’t have to focus on giving Ariel a kid, or cutting her off from the mermaid world. Ariel and Eric’s relationship represents something new for both humans and merpeople, and their seafaring quest will certainly take them to uncharted waters, both literally and figuratively. Return to the Sea might not happen in live-action form, but there is a lot of ocean to explore out there. This time, Ariel knows her father will always be there for her, now that he’s learned to let her go.
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Post by veu on May 28, 2023 5:57:04 GMT -5
The Little Mermaid performs very well in Italy. Source: www.badtaste.it/cinema/articoli/incassi-italia-la-sirenetta-tre-milioni-quattro-giorni/Incassi Italia: La Sirenetta supera i tre milioni in quattro giorni
Andrea Francesco Berni 28 maggio 2023 alle 10:13 · aggiornato il 28 maggio 2023 alle 10:14 Cinema Articoli
La corsa de La Sirenetta al box-office italiano prosegue con un buon rimbalzo nella giornata di sabato: il film Disney, ieri, ha raccolto altri 1.2 milioni di euro, ottenendo la miglior media per sala. In quattro giorni, da mercoledì, ha quindi sfiorato i 3.1 milioni di euro complessivi, e per il weekend lungo punta a superare i 4.5 milioni di euro.
Seconda posizione per Fast X, che pur rallentando incassa altri 673 mila euro, portandosi a un totale di ben nove milioni di euro.
Sale al terzo posto Rapito: il film di Marco Bellocchio raccoglie 164 mila euro e sale a 295 mila euro in tre giorni. L’assenza di premi a Cannes, purtroppo, non ha favorito nessun film italiano al botteghino.
Quarto posto per Guardiani della Galassia Vol. 3, che incassa 145 mila euro e sale a 10.2 milioni di euro, mentre chiude la top-five Renfield, con quasi 50 mila euro e un totale di 92 mila euro.
INCASSI ITALIA SABATO 27 MAGGIO 2023 La Sirenetta (The Little Mermaid): €1,226,558 – Tot. €3,090,144 Fast X: €673,560 – Tot. €9,045,828 Rapito: €164,459 – Tot. €295,279 Guardiani Della Galassia Vol. 3 (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3): €145,821 – Tot. €10,244,788 Renfield: €49,961 – Tot. €92,187 Super Mario Bros – Il Film (The Super Mario Bros. Movie): €28,754 – Tot. €20,211,409 Il Sol Dell’ Avvenire: €26,522 – Tot. €3,766,615 Daliland: €22,319 – Tot. €42,964 Sanctuary – Lui Fa Il Gioco. Lei Fa Le Regole: €15,115 – Tot. €32,934 La Quattordicesima Domenica Del Tempo Ordinario: €12,026 – Tot. €813,323
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Post by veu on May 28, 2023 5:55:51 GMT -5
The new movie is very good, it's the same as the animated movie with with some additions, like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King remakes.
I want a The Little Mermaid 2 movie, but I think the sequel will be a total new story and not a remake of the animated sequel.
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Post by veu on May 27, 2023 16:45:30 GMT -5
Source: ew.com/movies/the-little-mermaid-vanessa-actress-jessica-alexander/?utm_campaign=entertainmentweekly_entertainmentweekly&utm_content=new&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_term=6471f1833e63f90001075bf1Who plays Ursula's alter-ego Vanessa in The Little Mermaid? Director Rob Marshall on casting Jessica Alexander "It's rare for someone that beautiful and charismatic to be able to then turn into the sea witch literally in front of you," the filmmaker tells EW. "It was exciting to see that change."
By Shania Russell May 27, 2023 at 08:00 AM EDT
The Little Mermaid (2023 movie) TYPE Movie GENRE Musical Fantasy
The Little Mermaid, Disney's live-action remake of the 1989 classic, made plenty of waves with its casting choices. With R&B artist Halle Bailey at the helm, the world got its first Black Ariel. And with drag queens as a major influence, Melissa McCarthy embraced her role as the villainous Ursula. But as Little Mermaid fans know, filling the role of the sea witch is bigger than a single actress.
As Ariel lives out her dream of finding true love on the surface world, Ursula sabotages her happiness while disguised as human alter-ego Vanessa. As with all the other roles in the film, director Rob Marshall was determined to find the perfect person for the job. In the end, he landed on Jessica Alexander, the young actress who shares the sea witch with McCarthy.
"Our Vanessa, she's such a wonderful actor," Marshall tells EW. "It was so clear, right from the beginning."
Melissa McCarthy as Ursula in 'The Little Mermaid' and Vanessa actress Jessica Alexander | CREDIT: DISNEY; JEFF SPICER/GETTY
Marshall recalls asking the actresses to sing during the audition process, even though it wouldn't be required for the film. "Jessica is not really a singer, but she acted the singing so beautifully," Marshall says. "She's just a beautiful, beautiful actress, and she went there. It's sort of rare for someone that beautiful and charismatic to be able to then turn into the sea witch literally in front of you and just lose it. It was exciting to see that change. She's a force, Jessica. She's incredible."
Alexander's casting came late in the process and Marshall explains that it was an active choice to cast a relative unknown. "I really didn't want to do too many stunt [castings]," Marshall says. "We already had Melissa McCarthy playing Ursula, so to have another well-known person playing her as Vanessa just felt weird."
Beyond McCarthy, the cast is filled out by plenty of recognizable names, including Javier Bardem (King Triton), Daveed Diggs (Sebastian), Awkwafina (Scuttle), and Jacob Tremblay (Flounder), and Lin Manuel Miranda (Chef Louis). But according to Marshall, being newer to the scene didn't hinder Alexander from delivering a "fearless" performance.
Jessica Alexander | CREDIT: VALERIE MACON/AFP VIA GETTY
"The thing is that Jessica is an extraordinary actress," Marshall says. "I mean, quite young, but you can see her work. She just gets it, and she's fearless. That's what you find in an audition. We saw a lot of people on tape first, and then eventually when you find the people that you think are interesting, you see them in person and work with them."
With reporting by Nick Romano.
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Post by veu on May 27, 2023 16:42:21 GMT -5
Source: collider.com/little-mermaid-live-action-sequel/Does ‘The Little Mermaid’ Set Up a Sequel? BY AIDAN KELLEY PUBLISHED 2 DAYS AGO
Is the new remake simply "Ariel's Beginning?"
The-Little-Mermaid-Melissa-McCarthy-1Image via Annamaria Ward
Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for The Little Mermaid
Disney's live-action remake of The Little Mermaid is destined to be a big success for Disney, but if the film's ending and hanging plot threads are any indication, we may see Halle Bailey stellar portrayal of Ariel in a future sequel. The Walt Disney Company's live-action remakes have been fairly hit-and-miss, but in the case of The Little Mermaid, it's a surefire hit. Gorgeous visuals from director Rob Marshall, fantastic performances from the cast, and a good balance of reverence for the source material and induction of new ideas certainly make the 2023 remake one of Disney's better entries. Be sure to read Collider's own Ross Bonaime's full review of the film here.
While Disney's live-action remakes have been massive box office darlings, regardless of their critical reception, they haven't had as much luck with sequels to those remakes. Alice Through the Looking Glass, which, despite being a sequel to one of the highest-grossing movies ever made, underperformed both critically and financially. 102 Dalmatians and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil failed to make a strong impression as well. Production on an announced Aladdin sequel has been stagnant, but hopefully, things will change with the upcoming prequel, Mufasa: The Lion King. However, there are more than a few indications that we'll be seeing Ariel, Eric (Jonah Hauer-King), and all their aquatic friends return in a sequel.
The Ending of 'The Little Mermaid' 2023 Implies This is Only a 'Beginning"
The Little Mermaid poster with Ariel, Triton, Flounder, and SebastianImage via Disney
While the ending of The Little Mermaid is largely pretty similar to the 1989 film that it's based on, there is one crucial change that sets up plenty of more voyages in the franchise's magical world. After the two love-struck heroes defeat the evil sea witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy) and convince their respective parents that they're destined to be together, Ariel and Eric reunite and decide to live the rest of their lives together. However, instead of living the rest of their days in Eric's castle, they have something else in mind.
With the blessing of Eric's mother, Queen Selina (Noma Dumezweni), and Ariel's father, King Triton (Javier Bardem), Ariel and Eric celebrate their union by exploring the uncharted seas. The residents of both Eric's kingdom and Ariel's mer-brethren come to see them off, but not before Queen Selina has a brief aside with her new daughter-in-law. Throughout most of the film, Selina is adamantly against her adopted son Eric going on his sea-faring voyages, thinking it is far too dangerous of a pastime for the future king of an entire kingdom. It's a somewhat similar situation to what Ariel went through with her own father, with King Triton thinking that the surface world would never accept merpeople.
Queen Selina's attitude has clearly changed by the end of the film, now fully trusting her son and feeling that Ariel is a perfect companion for him. In her conversation with her new daughter-in-law, Selina offers some words of encouragement, saying that the voyage Ariel and Eric are about to embark on will signify a new "beginning" for the couple. Ariel agrees with this sentiment, even echoing the word "beginning" while practically staring at the camera for a few seconds. If that's not a direct tease that there's more to come, we don't know what is.
'The Little Mermaid' Features a Few Dangling Plot Threads
Halle Bailey as Ariel and Jonah Hauer-King as Eric in 'The Little Mermaid' 2023Image via The Walt Disney Company
The Little Mermaid is about 90% accurate to the original animated classic, but there are quite a few new ideas introduced that aren't fully expanded upon (yet). Many of these changes include more ambiguous backstory details for both Ariel and Eric. In the case of the titular little mermaid, we learn that humans killed Ariel's mother, and a very specific human at that. While this information is conveyed through an emotional conversation between Ariel and King Triton, we never learn the identity of the person responsible nor the circumstances behind the mermaid queen's death.
Eric is also a much more fleshed-out character in this iteration of the story, and a big part of that is due to the prince's new backstory. In a conversation between Eric and Queen Selina, we learn that he is adopted, being brought to the oceanside kingdom's shores in a deadly shipwreck. While the young man was lucky to find a wealthy matriarch as his adopted mother, his mysterious past as an orphan is likely the reason behind his obsession with exploration and adventure.
As Ariel and Eric prepare for a new voyage, they likely want to do this dangerous yet exciting challenge to explore uncharted waters. However, a small part of them may also want to learn more about their respective pasts in the process. Either way, these mysterious plot threads could easily be woven into something more for a sequel.
The Original 'The Little Mermaid' Already Has a Sequel and a Prequel
Ariel and Melody in The Little Mermaid 2Image via The Walt Disney Company
In Disney's infamous era of releasing significantly cheaper straight-to-video sequels, we did get a diamond in the rough with the follow-ups to 1989's The Little Mermaid. While not without their flaws, the sequel and prequel of the film would get make for one of Disney's better animated trilogies. Admittedly, Disney has largely tried to pretend these sequels even happened, with Aladdin 2 confirmed to be an original story and not an adaptation of Aladdin: The Return of Jafar or Aladdin and the King of Thieves.
The first continuation of Ariel's story was actually the 1992 animated series, but the franchise would get a more proper sequel in The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea. The straight-to-video follow-up flips the script on the original by primarily focusing on Ariel (Jodi Benson) and Eric's (Rob Paulsen) daughter, Melody (Tara Strong) - a human girl who wants to be a mermaid. Melody's parents forbid this and cut Melody off from the ocean entirely, as Ursula's fearsome sister Morgana (Pat Carroll) has vowed vengeance on Ariel and Eric by going after their beloved daughter. Eventually, Melody gets her wish to become a mermaid, leading Ariel to also get her fins again to go after her daughter.
Eight years later, Ariel's story would get yet another wrinkle in The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning. In what can effectively be called Footloose underwater, this prequel sees an Atlantica where singing and music is outlawed, following a tragic incident that led to King Triton's (Jim Cummings) wife and Ariel's mother dying. Ariel's love for music makes this a difficult dilemma, but thankfully, the future court composer Sebastian (Samuel E. Wright) is still practicing music despite the ban.
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Post by veu on May 27, 2023 16:39:39 GMT -5
Source: www.ilgiornale.it/news/cinema/sirenetta-romantico-anelito-libert-nel-remake-disney-2158058.htmlIl film del weekend "La Sirenetta", romantico anelito alla libertà nel remake Disney 27 Maggio 2023 - 14:46 Un live-action che non si prende troppe licenze rispetto al film d’animazione originale e che ha nel fascino della sua protagonista e negli esterni girati in Sardegna i propri punti di forza
di Serena Nannelli
Con “La Sirenetta” prosegue il filone Disney di live-action ispirati a grandi successi del passato della casa di Topolino.
Il regista, Rob Marshall (Chicago, Memorie di una geisha), ha il merito di non aver lasciato naufragare un film di cui era davvero difficile reggere il timone per molteplici motivi. Prima di tutto c'era da gestire il disappunto internazionale legato alla scelta di una ragazza afroamericana come attrice protagonista, discostandosi molto quindi da qualsiasi versione precedente della favola. Subito dopo, il progetto è stato ostacolato dal sopraggiungere della pandemia. Infine, a livello tecnico, la sfida di rendere fluido il passaggio tra scene sottacqua e fuori dall'acqua era intrinsecamente notevole (e siamo lontani dall'incanto di Avatar).
Ariel (Halle Bailey) la più giovane delle figlie di Re Tritone (Javier Bardem), è affascinata dal mondo degli esseri umani e si spinge spesso in zone impervie del mondo sottomarino proprio per cercare indizi sulla vita in superficie. Perlustra infatti relitti alla ricerca di oggetti di cui le sfugge l’uso, ma che la fanno sognare abitudini terrestri. Un giorno disubbidisce al padre e si spinge fino a salvare un ragazzo caduto in mare durante un naufragio. Si scopre che è il principe Eric (Jonah Hauer-King), nel cui regno la sirenetta riuscirà a recarsi con l’aiuto della strega del mare.
Piccole modifiche alla storia originale cercano di rinfrescare quel che altrimenti apparirebbe come una pedissequa trasposizione di inquadrature dal linguaggio dell’animazione a quello del live-action.
Più kitsch che poetico e più lungo che ammaliante, il nuovo “La Sirenetta” perde colpi in particolare laddove si piega eccessivamente al politicamente corretto (vedi la realtà multirazziale delle sorelle di Ariel), e quando sfodera una computer grafica straniante per confezionare gli animaletti della storia. Il granchio Sebastian, il pesce Flouder e il gabbiano Scuttle, infatti, hanno fattezze che davvero mal si armonizzano a quelle degli umani che interagiscono con loro. Molto più riuscita la componente degli effetti speciali applicata sul personaggio di Ursula, il cui carisma è fulgido grazie alla sua interprete, Melissa McCarthy.
Se gli 83 minuti di durata de “La Sirenetta” versione cartoon diventano oggi, nel film con tecnica mista, ben 135, è anche grazie a piccole, blande aggiunte che vorrebbero rendere più moderna la vicenda. Da un lato l’attrazione tra Eric e Ariel non è più meramente estetica, bensì risiede in affinità elettive che scoprono di avere, come il piglio ribelle e il desiderio di scoprire culture e popoli sconosciuti. Entrambi poi appartengono a un mondo impaurito e ostile verso ciò che è diverso e hanno anche lo stesso tormentato rapporto con una figura genitoriale ingombrante: nel caso di Ariel è Tritone, qui spaventato dall’aver perduto la moglie in tragiche circostanze, mentre in quello di Eric è una sovrana di colore che lo ha adottato a seguito di un naufragio.
Ascoltare (e canticchiare) i celebri brani imparati a suo tempo nel film d’animazione ha un fascino che subisce una grossa battuta d'arresto nello spaventoso distacco tra il testo italiano e il labiale inglese.
A ben vedere, a mantenere una parvenza magica sono poche cose ancorché fondamentali. Da un lato l’espressività dolce e intensa dell’attrice protagonista, dall’altro l’orgoglio di vedere sul grande schermo location (in particolare la spiaggia di Rena Majore) che appartengono alla nostra Sardegna e la cui bellezza trova, una volta di più, la meritata consacrazione mondiale.
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Post by veu on May 27, 2023 14:41:25 GMT -5
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Post by veu on May 27, 2023 13:12:35 GMT -5
The global phenomenon is now the #1 movie in the world!
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Post by veu on May 27, 2023 13:09:54 GMT -5
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Post by veu on May 27, 2023 7:46:19 GMT -5
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