The Little Mermaid swims to top of box office with up to $130M expected over holiday weekend debut

The Little Mermaid makes its first weekend in theaters swimming.

The Disney live-action movie of the animated classic, which spent some $150,000 on star Halle Bailey’s red hair, quickly recouped that cost and more with a strong box office showing.

Moviegoers have made the much-anticipated musical a part of their world, paying about $38 million for tickets on the film’s opening day on Friday.

According to deadlinewas on track to become the third-highest ever for Memorial Day weekend.

Analysts believe the film will gross about $104 million for Friday through Sunday issues and earn between $120 and $130 million for its four-day break.

Halle Bailey, 23, stars as Ariel, the youngest daughter of King Triton, played by Javier Bardem, 54, who rules the seas.

She has an unquenchable curiosity to experience life beyond the ocean.

After rescuing a stranded prince (Jonah Hauer-King, 27), Ariel makes a deal with Melissa McCarthy’s fiendish sea witch Ursula to experience life as a human.

The only catch is that she has to sacrifice her beautiful singing voice and the only way to restore it is through a true love’s kiss.

According to Screen Engine/Comscore’s PostTrak, the romantic adventure has been rated highly by audiences of all ages and races.

91 percent of moviegoers reported a positive attitude towards the film and 76 percent said they would definitely recommend it.

The racial breakdown of audiences for the female-friendly film is: 35 percent Black, 25 percent Latino and Hispanic, 26 percent White, and 11 percent Asian.

The film and the casting of Halle, who is African American, suffered fierce racist backlash from people upset that a white animated character had been replaced by a live black woman.

“The fact that I get to represent all these little young black and brown boys and girls to come is very special to me because I know if I had that when I was younger it would have changed my whole outlook on life changed. ,’ she said The Hollywood Reporter.

On Saturday, Halle, who was part of a full media press to promote the project, celebrated the film’s success by sharing the trailer on her Instagram Stories, writing, “Finally home and resting now, but this is just too crazy. Thank you all very much.’

For Halley, it’s been a five-year journey from her first audition to finally getting the movie on the big screen.

Box office: Analysts believe the film will gross about $104 million for Friday through Sunday issues and earn between $120 and $130 million for the four-day break. The movie gross was on track to become the third-highest ever for Memorial Day weekend

Audience: 91 percent of moviegoers reported a positive attitude toward the movie, and 76 percent said they would definitely recommend the movie. The racial audience breakdown for the female-friendly film is: 35% Black, 25% Latino and Hispanic, 26% White, and 11% Asian

Backlash: The casting of Halle, who is African American, as the lead actor resulted in some racist backlash against the film. “The fact that I get to represent all these little young black and brown boys and girls to come is very special to me,” she told The Hollywood Reporter.

Number one: Halle celebrated the film’s first day at the box office and shared a clip from the trailer that featured #1 film in the world

Fun: Melissa McCarthy who plays Ursula wrote on social media, “Ready or not, world…here we come! I hope it brings you as much joy and love as we felt when we made it!!!”

In an interview with Glamorthe African-American actress, said she felt like she and Ariel broke through barriers together.

“I remember being in the harness in the air and swinging around all day, but also in the tank and water for hours and I felt like I was really breaking out of my shell that I had been in for so long. ‘

Ariel is so passionate about what she wants for herself and her future and I really felt like she was telling me “you can do it.”‘

Melissa McCarthy who plays Ursula wrote on social media, “Ready or not, world…here we come! I hope it brings you as much joy and love as we felt when we made it!!!”