All of the headlines suggest The Little Mermaid is a huge hit, but this isn’t remotely true.
The 2019 Lion King remake made $191 million domestic on opening weekend.
The TLM remake made $118 million domestic on opening weekend.
The Lion King finished at $1.6 billion with two thirds of that being international.
The Little Mermaid only took in $68 million international on opening weekend.
Napkin math says Mermaid will make $350ish million total domestic. If international percentage holds, that’s only another $200ish million.
Projected total? $550 million. On a $250 million budget, that’s a gigantic flop.
I wonder how much they save on marketing by race-baiting fans and critics to stir up press?
I'm skeptical that there would be much return on that strategy. Leftists tend not to patronize the stuff they destroy. Maybe the buzz it creates would help but I don't imagine it helps much.
While they probably could save on marketing through that method, the sheer amount of promotions and ads everywhere says they don't hold back regardless of controversy stirring.