After enchanting audiences around the world, The Little Mermaid made a big splash on Disney+ this weekend. Disney announced today that the live-action reimagining of the studio’s Academy Award-winning animated musical starring Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy is the most viewed Disney movie premiere on Disney+ since Hocus Pocus 2, garnering 16 million views in its first five days streaming.
- The success of The Little Mermaid on Disney+ follows a strong theatrical run this summer.
- The movie – which was directed by Rob Marshall and opened over Memorial Day weekend to $118.6 million in North America – was one of the top five highest-grossing films of the summer domestically with nearly $300 million.
- The Little Mermaid – which also stars Javier Bardem, Daveed Diggs, and Awkwafina – is also among 2023’s top ten films worldwide to date, earning $570 million at the global box office.
- The film was praised by audiences who gave it an “A” CinemaScore and a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.
- 2023’s The Little Mermaid builds on the incredible legacy of the original 1989 classic, continuing to bring the story to life through a treasure trove of merchandising, parks and resorts attractions, video games, books, and theater productions for millions of fans around the world.
- The release of the live action The Little Mermaid has also given a boost to Disney’s existing library resulting in tremendous engagement for The Little Mermaid animated films on Disney+.
- Last October, Hocus Pocus 2 set a record for streaming minutes by a movie on Nielsen’s weekly chart, drawing more than 2.7 billion minutes of viewing.