Although sweeping in the North American market but Mermaid 2023 (The Little Mermaid) still could not succeed in the Korean market. Box office revenue is said to be inadequate compared to Disney’s promotional power. Many argue that the cause is due to racism, however, Korean audiences have spoken out and clearly stated their views leading to the failure of this film.
Accordingly, audiences in this market think that the film itself does not meet the standards of an animated series from Disney. Halle Bailey’s acting is also controversial when many people think that her charisma is not good enough to play the mermaid Ariel. Most of the discussion regarding Halle Bailey is about acting, not about race.
Aside from one comment regarding the acting, the majority of public reviews mentioned the film’s music and plot. In particular, the music is praised, but the content of the film is controversial.
At the present time, after nearly a month in theaters, Mermaid grossed $467.7 million worldwide. Compared to a production budget of $ 250 million, this is not an impressive number, even more disappointing when Disney once set expectations that the film could approach the milestone of $ 1 billion.
