Summer tentpole films can bring a windfall of money to movie theaters, but the hundreds of millions spent shooting and promoting them require them to be big hits both in the U.S. and around the world. Over the past two weeks, Universal’s “Fast X” and Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” have found success in one, but not the other.
This weekend, “The Little Mermaid” secured a successful domestic launch with a $118.6 million four-day opening, among the top five highest for Memorial Day weekend, while earning strong word of mouth from an audience driven by Black moviegoers.
But overseas, the film grossed just $68 million, less than the $86.5