Was The Little Mermaid 2023 Remake a Flop or Success?

Tudor Leonte

Tue, September 5, 2023 at 1:57 PM UTC

3 min read

was the little mermaid a flop — Credits: Disney

With the live-action version of The Little Mermaid approaching its Disney Plus release date, some people wonder whether it was a flop at the box office. Many things have been said about the 2023 remake’s box-office run, and some of them contradict the others. So, was The Littel Mermaid a flop or a success at the box office? Here’s what you need to know.

Was The Little Mermaid 2023 remake a flop?

The Little Mermaid 2023 remake can be considered a flop at the box office.

Buy The Little Mermaid 2023 remake on Amazon

Maybe The Little Mermaid remake is not the heavy flop some people claim it is, but it surely didn’t perform as expected for Disney. Production of The Little Mermaid came with a reported hefty $265.5 million budget, including substantial staffing costs. Despite high expectations, the film faced backlash for modernizing its story, including the #notmyariel hashtag. Also, some fans found the CGI unsettling.

The film was filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic, which heavily impacted the production costs. To manage the pandemic disruptions, producers had to request a government grant and reimbursement. Another significant factor to consider is that the financial statements and cost calculations were made while the movie was still in post-production. Plus, the film underperformed in some important markets like China.

How much money did The Little Mermaid 2023 remake make or lose?

The reported box office result of The Little Mermaid 2023 remake is about $560 million.

On paper, these numbers look good. The film grossed over $298 million domestically and more than $263 million internationally. However, for a movie to be considered a box office success, it generally has to gross at least 2.5x its production budget, which never includes the expenses to promote the film. Other costs might be impacting the total budget, like the post-production expenses.

The full financial impact of the film will only become clear when The Walt Disney Company’s next set of financial statements is released, potentially affecting the film’s overall profitability. Still, The Little Mermaid’s high budget, coupled with criticism regarding its story adaptation, presented challenges for Disney.

The Little Mermaid will be available to stream on Disney Plus starting September 6.

For more The Little Mermaid-related content, check out whether there is a post-credit scene in the movie. Also, here’s whether there will be a sequel.