‘The Little Mermaid Flops In China, Amid Uproar Against Black Ariel
Disney's "The Little Mermaid" has been relatively popular in America, but the film is struggling overseas, especially in China, and some believe the market may be tilting backwards when it comes to the reception of black films.
This year's "The Little Mermaid," starring black actress Holly Bailey as white Ariel in the beloved 1989 cartoon, has grossed more than $236 million at the box office as of May 26. Mojo Office Box.
In Communist China, the world's second-largest film market, the film has so far earned $3.7 million. In comparison, the film earned $4.9 million and $5.1 million in South Korea and Japan, respectively.
The Chinese audience website Douban also did not fare well, giving the film only two and a half stars. It's unclear how many people have seen the movie, as the site doesn't have a viewer verification feature. The "Opinion Bomb" that the Internet drops on a movie that gets bad reviews online, even though they've never seen it, is questionable.
Based in the UK, but widely used in America, the film has a pretty good 7.2 out of 10 stars on Amazon's IMDB, and is currently the second most popular film on the site.
The film is likely to be picked up by local Chinese films, a situation that has once again raised doubts about the reception of films starring black actors in China and Hollywood will have to fine-tune its shooting strategy due to the negative reception. Purchased by Ariel Beltza.
After the success of Black Panther in China in 2018 and Spirit in 2018, there was a moment when Chinese audiences, who had previously opposed black films, finally liked them.
However, the disastrous performance and "review bomb" of The Little Mermaid complicates the story of the growing recognition of black leaders in China.
Reaction to the film was summarized in an editorial by the state-funded Chinese tabloid Global Times. The article criticized the "forced entry of minorities", calling the alleged practice a "lazy and irresponsible narrative strategy".
"If Disney goes this route, audiences, especially innocent children, will no longer be interested in 'princes and princesses who live happily ever after,' but in 'what color princes and princesses,'" the editors said. He writes for the Global Times.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter last month, the film's director Rob Marshall dismissed the criticism, saying that during the auditions for the role of Ariel "we saw all ethnicities".
"Immediately he set the bar so high that no one could surpass it," said Mr. About Mrs. Marshall. Bailey said. “There is no agenda for colored women to vote. It was really 'Let's find the best Ariel' and Holly introduced her for the part."
