THE LITTLE MERMAID Tops U.K. Box Office With Opening Weekend Debut

The Little Mermaid made a splash at the U.K. box office for its opening weekend!

Variety reports that Disney's new live action reimagining of the classic movie musical earned £5 million ($6.2 million) at the U.K. and Ireland box office, accounting for 49% of the ticket sales across the three day weekend.

The U.K. debut comes after the film brought in $118.6 million domestically over Memorial Day weekend. The film surpasses Disney's live action movie musical adaptation of Aladdin, which opened to $116.8 million in 2019.

"The Little Mermaid" stars Halle Bailey (Chloe X Halle, "The Color Purple") as Ariel; Tony Award winner Daveed Diggs ("Hamilton," "Snowpiercer") as THE VOICE of Sebastian; Melissa McCarthy ("Bridesmaids") as Ursula; Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric; Jacob Tremblay ("Luca," "Room") as THE VOICE of Flounder; Awkwafina ("Raya and the Last Dragon") as THE VOICE of Scuttle; Art Malik ("Homeland") as Sir Grimsby; Noma Dumezweni ("Mary Poppins Returns") as Queen Selina; with Oscar winner Javier Bardem ("No Country for Old Men," "Being the Ricardos") as KING Triton.

The youngest of KING Triton's daughters, and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea, and while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land, but ultimately places her life - and her father's crown - in jeopardy.

"The Little Mermaid" is directed by Oscar® nominee Rob Marshall ("Chicago," "Mary Poppins Returns"), and written by two-time Oscar nominee David Magee ("Life of Pi," "Finding Neverland"), with a live-action story adaptation by David Magee, Rob Marshall, and two-time Emmy winner John DeLuca ("Tony Bennett: An American Classic"), based on the short story by Hans Christian Andersen, and the Disney animated film by Ron Clements and John Musker.

Watch the trailer for The Little Mermaid here:

Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2023 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.