In The Little Mermaid, Ariel tells us that she has “gadgets and gizmos aplenty.” You know what else she has? Cash.
The Little Mermaid made big waves at the box office—at least in North America—swimming to an estimated $95.4 million during the traditional three-day weekend. Throw in Memorial Day receipts, and Disney’s latest live-action remake of an animated classic banked $117.5 million. That’s a lot of cash to stick in Davy Jones’ locker.
The Little Mermaid scaled back its take considerably in other markets, earning just $68.3 million internationally. Why did this undersea movie not do as well overseas? Well, for one thing, Disney’s favorite human-fish hybrid isn’t as beloved outside North America. But some also suspect the scourge of review bombing from folks with a fishy axe to grind. According to Deadline, in Germany, the initial public rating for the film at the site Moviepilot was less than one—out of 10.
Still, Ariel and company are floating just fine for now—and that despite a flood of new movies to hit the marketplace.
But first, let’s talk about some holdovers.
Fast X earned another $28.6 million stateside during the long Memorial Day weekend to screech into second place. It has now earned $113.6 million domestically. But unlike Mermaid, Fast X continues to roar internationally. Its global earnings now stand at $399.3 million. You could say that it’s really Dom-inating the overseas marketplace. (Get it? Dom’s the lead character in the—oh, never mind.)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 gathered another $26.1 million to add to its overhaul haul. The Marvel film’s cumulative $305.6 million tally makes it the year’s second biggest movie. Internationally, it stands at $724.3 million after three weeks in theaters.
What’s the year’s highest grossing movie? Well, it’d be the movie that finished fourth this weekend. The Super Mario Bros. Movie, despite its streaming availability, continues to drag moviegoers to the multiplex. It scored $8.4 million to bring its total box office to a Kong-sized $561 million domestically and nearly $1.3 billion worldwide.
The Machine debuts at No. 5 with $6 million and leads a pack of newcomers. The surprisingly sweet-hearted (albeit foul-mouthed) About My Father finished sixth with $5.4 million; Kandahar was seventh with $3 million; and You Hurt My Feelings slid into eighth with $1.8 million. Perhaps that’s what the film is telling moviegoers.
One Response
-I haven’t seen the movie yet, but the preview right before Guardians looked good. I’ve been hearing really good things about the lead actress’ performance even from reviews that didn’t like the movie itself, so I’m expecting something similar to Beauty and the Beast (so-so movie but main performer brings her A-game).