It Turns Out The 2023 Little Mermaid Lost Disney Money

A little over a year after its release, the Live-Action Remake of The Little Mermaid has left the public consciousness (aside from the Disney Jr. animated series Ariel). The movie caused many to rethink and ask, “Why do we need all of these remakes?” 

The once profitable trend that Disney could rely on for money is drying up.

The film’s first teaser trailer currently holds the record for the most disliked trailer for any Hollywood production. With over 30 million views, it has 3.8 million dislikes. 

At the world wide box office the movie made $569.6 million against a reported $240.2 million budget (before advertising costs and theater cuts). Initially Disney was said to have made a small profit from the film. Not as much as the billion dollar success movies like the 2017 Beauty and the Beast or the 2019 Lion King, however, it turns out that the original reported budget wasn’t accurate to what ended up being spent.

In a recent report from Forbes, the movie ended up actually costing $355.1 million, exceeded the original production budget. One of the biggest factors in that was the large amount of visual effects. Which ironically was an element that was heavily criticized.

The initial filming ended in July of 2021 with visual effects being worked on over the next year. According to a financial statement an additional $35.4 million was spent on effects. 



The film’s large cost was slightly decreased thanks to a $65.2 million cash reimbursement from the U.K. government for filming there, bringing it down to $289.9 million. With the estimated $285 million in theater cuts the film ended up losing Disney roughly $4.9 million at the box office.

While not a major money loser, the movie did more damage to Disney’s image than its bank account. Stacks of unsold dolls, school supplies, clothes and cosmetics based on the movie are all being placed in clearance bins while merchandise based on the 1989 original took its place. 



Both this film and the upcoming remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs are seemingly the “straws that broke the camel’s back” for many. The future of Disney’s live-action rRemakes may be severely affected by these failures. 

What do you think? Was the remake of The Little Mermaid judged too harshly? Or is it better left in Ursula’s garden of lost souls? Let us know your thoughts.

Source: Forbes