Disney Enjoys Tidal Wave Of Memorial Day Receipts Thanks To Little Mermaid's Box Office Splash

Audiences flooded movie theaters throughout Memorial Day weekend in support of "The Little Mermaid" from Walt Disney Co. DIS.

What Happened: The movie, a CGI-laced live-action remake of the 1988 animated classic, earned an impressive $117.5 million over the course of the four-day holiday, according to Variety.

Here's how other films performed:

• “Fast X," from Universal Corp UVV, earned $28.7 million. Its worldwide gross is about $500 million (the third highest-grossing movie of 2023).
• “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” also from Disney, took third place with $26.1 million for the four-day holiday, Variety reported. Its global box office currently hovers at around $305.6 million. 
• Universal’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” grossed an additional $8.3 million.
• “The Machine," an action comedy from Sony Group Corp SONY, debuted with $6 million.
• “About My Father,” starring Sebastian Maniscalco and Robert De Niro, scooped up $5.4 million.

"The Little Mermaid" boasts the fifth-largest Memorial Day debut. Paramount Global's PARAPARAA “Top Gun: Maverick” debuted ahead of Memorial Day weekend in 2022 and broke the holiday record at the time with a four-day total of $160.5 million in ticket sales.

Rounding out the top four Memorial Day weekend hits: "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," and "X-Men: The Last Stand."

See Also: Disney Defying DeSantis? Mouse House To Reportedly Double Down On Florida With $17B Investment

Why It Matters: Movie theaters and studios typically rely on Memorial Day weekend for returns. Also, in an era where audience turnout is dubious, "Little Mermaid's" performance shows that Disney's bet on live-action remakes of its original cartoon hits is paying off.

The original "Little Mermaid" film was released to theaters on Nov. 17, 1989. It was a hit, raking in more than $235 million worldwide ever since.

Next up is Disney's remake of "The Aristocats," directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson.

Per Bloomberg, AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc AMC and IMAX Corp. IMAX have rallied an average of 31% so far in 2023.

Cinemark Holdings Inc. CNK is up 91% year to date, bolstered by the box-office returns of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," which has so far earned $1.2 billion.

Now Read: Cinemark's Summer Releases Are Coming, Analyst Predicts Balance In Risk & Return

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