EXCLUSIVE, late Thursday PM: Sources are telling us that Disney’s Rob Marshall directed The Little Mermaid is singing some excessive notes tonight of $10M+ in previews. Should that determine exceed $10.8M it’s going to rep the sixth highest preview efficiency amongst PG and G rated titles in movement image historical past. Tracking pegged the Halle Bailey film at a $120M 4-day begin over Memorial Day.
Remember, that preview money is made up of Wednesday 6PM fan screenings at 500 premium display screen theaters and early reveals which started at 3PM at present.
Even extra spectacular, Little Mermaid‘s preview determine bests that of Disney’s reside motion take of animated toon, Aladdin, from Memorial Day weekend 2019; that Will Smith pic doing $7M earlier than grossing $31.3M on its first Friday for a $116.8M 4-day. Little Mermaid additionally simply beats the $2.3M previews (8PM begin) of 2015’s Cinderella, which had a $23M first day, $67.8M begin. However, Little Mermaid is swimming slower than Disney’s reside motion Beauty and the Beast from 2017 which did $16.3M, for a $63.7M Friday and $174.7M opening.
Female skewing films, like Twilight for example, usually get a foul rep for being front-loaded. However, as soon as a mass-appealing Disney princess film fires up from its opening, it doesn’t let go. Beauty and the Beast solely eased round -2% between its Thursday previews/Friday and Saturday enterprise. Frozen 2 was +19% over an analogous interval whereas Aladdin, which starred Princess Jasmine, solely eased -4% between its Thursday night time/Friday and Saturday.
Though critics on Little Mermaid waned to 68% recent, audiences on Rotten Tomatoes are very glad at 95%
We’re simply getting began right here.
: .