Last week, during the celebration of the latest Academy Awards ceremony, Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy took over the stage to present the long-awaited complete trailer for The Little Mermaid, the upcoming live-action adaptation of the 1989 Disney Classic. And the video is already breaking records for the film.
In just 24 hours, the trailer reached a total of 108 million views, becoming one of the most viewed in the entire history of the studio, and the most prominent since the preview of The Lion King in 2019, also one of the most recent House of Mouse live-actions (via THR).
The 1994 remake of the film garnered an incredible 130 million, a number that's hard to beat. However, The Little Mermaid trailer outperformed other big titles like Aladdin, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Mulan, and Cruel.
Although the trailer is not a parameter, it is clear that the expectation for the film is great, even if it is because of all the controversies around it. Despite the criticism, Disney has a good track record when it comes to live-action box office performance, with Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King easily surpassing the 1 billion barrier.
Everything We Know About The Little Mermaid Live-Action
The story follows Ariel, the daughter of King Triton, as well as a fearless and cute little mermaid. Tired of her obligations as a princess, her greatest wish is to leave the kingdom of the seas to have a normal life on the surface. A life in which she is not recognized by everyone.
Thanks to a pact with the wicked witch Ursula in which the princess will give her precious voice to her in exchange for three days as a normal person on the surface, Ariel meets Prince Eric, a charming human with whom she falls instantly in love. It won't take long for her father to find out that his daughter has fallen in love with a human, which will provoke his anger and try to convince Ariel to back off and put her feelings aside.
With her friends Sebastian, the grumpy crab, and Flounder, the adorable little fish, Ariel must fight to save her father's kingdom from the evil Ursula and her faithful minions, the eels Flotsam and Jetsam.
Joining actress and singer Halle Bailey, who plays Ariel, the cast includes Jonah Hauer-King (Little Women) as Prince Eric, Daveed Diggs (Hamilton) as Sebastian, Awkwafina (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) as Scuttle, Jacob Tremblay (Room) as Flounder, Javier Bardem as King Triton, and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula.