On this week’s show, Sonny Bunch (The Bulwark), Alyssa Rosenberg (The Washington Post), and Peter Suderman (Reason) argue over whether or not “kink” is the right word to use when discussing a movie about a teenage mermaid. Then they discuss just went wrong with Disney’s latest live-action adaptation of
I have not seen the movie yet (not the right demographic exactly...no kids, and 50 years old man) but am interested in Sonny's comment about Europe being more racist than the US because of lower returns on "The Little Mermaid" while a few months (a year ?) ago, he defended the low performance of "Bros" in the US due to a lack of interest in the romantic genre not homophobia...Why the discrepancy ? Thank you to Peter for offering an alternative explanation...In addition, being so worried about the "message" of the movie toward the sensibilities of children and families, and yet saying that 3 year old children got to learn sometimes (even as sarcasm, it seems hypocritical)...And again, thank you to Alyssa for "not being a jerk" as she walked out of the theater...This country has always been strange in its approach to kids...OK for them to be gunned down in schools, unprotected in schools, but the danger lies with "The Little Mermaid" and LGBTQ and Racially Themed books...Is it too much to ask for rationality and consistency in approaching the safety of children ? I guess it might be too much for this country...
THE LITTLE MERMAID didn’t play overseas for any number of reasons, but one reason why it didn’t play in China (did I say specifically Europe? I honestly don’t remember) is because China is notoriously racist. Like, there’s a reason John Boyega was reduced to postage stamp size on the Chinese FORCE AWAKENS trailers.
One extra post...According to Box Office Mojo, "The Little Mermaid" has grossed 140 Million Dollars Internationally...Not bad for a racist world ! Details can be found on Box Office Mojo's site...Thoughts ?
Again...The Box Office situation is clear...And according to Deadline (your link) a disappointment...But my point remains...The reason(s) behind that lackluster result...To jump to the casting and race issue is too easy...Maybe the movie is just not good, not enjoyable, didn't find its audience...What does it say about the opposite results for other big US Blockbusters ? Is "Super Mario Bros" a good movie ? How about "Fast X" (Very Diverse Casting) ? Or "Avatar 2" ? Yet, they still performed better Internationally than domestically...Some bad movies perform well, others not so well...I don't attribute the success to the casting but to the overall quality or interest...
First...Appreciate the back and forth...Secondly, why insist on the race element...I agree that It may be a part of it (though Deadline mentions respected movie magazines like Premiere, Inrockuptible and Allo Ciné as giving the movie a low score, and reasons like the "why of it all" and citing "Internet Trolls") but certainly not the only one or even the main one allover...If so, fair to say that if LGBTQ movies that don't come out domestically, or fail (like Bros) is due to homophobia and not the quality of the movie ? As I would then say...Yeah, that and the Homophobia/Transphobia...But that would be too easy, wouldn't it ? You disagreed that Americans didn't go to see "Bros" due to Homophobia but are willing to cite racism as a main reason for "The Little Mermaid"'s disappointing Box Office results...Thanks again for the back and forth...And yes, always great and interesting conversations...
Thank you for replying...I actually saw Bros in Hawaii when it first came out...My comment was centered on your explanation for its failed Box Office in the US and Billy Eichner's reaction to it (You broke it down rather in great detail in terms of numbers) but no such details here...
Agreed ! Same can be said about how Hypocritical the US is in terms of its approach to public safety, children in particular...As an American born and raised in Belgium (And Before any mention...Belgium has a huge history of colonization and racism...like most EU countries) I find the gun violence against children appalling while at the same time am confused about all the fuss around books, or controversial Disney Movies (in FL lately...Strange World asked by kids to be watched)...Finally, if it is about which location (EU or US) is more racist, that is a strange place to be, wouldn't you agree? But if so...How many people of color were shot by police in Europe in the last year ? Or how many books were banned due to Racially themed stories by winning and celebrated authors ? LGBTQ Books ? Again, not a competition I would like to engage in...Both sides are loser on that topic...
Fascinating discussion about this. I loved Alyssa’s points about the way live action unveils more of the physical longing and makes it tough to gloss over. Also why would anyone want to do live action of an animation? Animation is completely free. You can do absolutely anything and it’s only limited by the creativity of the artists.
I went with two 8 yr. old girls, who were super excited to see it. It made me sad to see them exit so deflated. For what it is worth, they loved Beauty & the Beast with real actors?
I have not seen the movie yet (not the right demographic exactly...no kids, and 50 years old man) but am interested in Sonny's comment about Europe being more racist than the US because of lower returns on "The Little Mermaid" while a few months (a year ?) ago, he defended the low performance of "Bros" in the US due to a lack of interest in the romantic genre not homophobia...Why the discrepancy ? Thank you to Peter for offering an alternative explanation...In addition, being so worried about the "message" of the movie toward the sensibilities of children and families, and yet saying that 3 year old children got to learn sometimes (even as sarcasm, it seems hypocritical)...And again, thank you to Alyssa for "not being a jerk" as she walked out of the theater...This country has always been strange in its approach to kids...OK for them to be gunned down in schools, unprotected in schools, but the danger lies with "The Little Mermaid" and LGBTQ and Racially Themed books...Is it too much to ask for rationality and consistency in approaching the safety of children ? I guess it might be too much for this country...
BROS didn’t play ... anywhere. Data:
DOMESTIC (78.7%)
$11,628,165
INTERNATIONAL (21.3%)
$3,153,614
WORLDWIDE
$14,781,779
THE LITTLE MERMAID didn’t play overseas for any number of reasons, but one reason why it didn’t play in China (did I say specifically Europe? I honestly don’t remember) is because China is notoriously racist. Like, there’s a reason John Boyega was reduced to postage stamp size on the Chinese FORCE AWAKENS trailers.
One extra post...According to Box Office Mojo, "The Little Mermaid" has grossed 140 Million Dollars Internationally...Not bad for a racist world ! Details can be found on Box Office Mojo's site...Thoughts ?
It’s going to end up grossing less internationally than it does domestically, which is virtually unheard of for blockbusters and a disaster compared to similar live action animated remakes. Do not take my word for it: https://deadline.com/2023/05/little-mermaid-box-office-profit-loss-halle-bailey-1235383099/amp/
Again...The Box Office situation is clear...And according to Deadline (your link) a disappointment...But my point remains...The reason(s) behind that lackluster result...To jump to the casting and race issue is too easy...Maybe the movie is just not good, not enjoyable, didn't find its audience...What does it say about the opposite results for other big US Blockbusters ? Is "Super Mario Bros" a good movie ? How about "Fast X" (Very Diverse Casting) ? Or "Avatar 2" ? Yet, they still performed better Internationally than domestically...Some bad movies perform well, others not so well...I don't attribute the success to the casting but to the overall quality or interest...
That and the racism, yeah.
First...Appreciate the back and forth...Secondly, why insist on the race element...I agree that It may be a part of it (though Deadline mentions respected movie magazines like Premiere, Inrockuptible and Allo Ciné as giving the movie a low score, and reasons like the "why of it all" and citing "Internet Trolls") but certainly not the only one or even the main one allover...If so, fair to say that if LGBTQ movies that don't come out domestically, or fail (like Bros) is due to homophobia and not the quality of the movie ? As I would then say...Yeah, that and the Homophobia/Transphobia...But that would be too easy, wouldn't it ? You disagreed that Americans didn't go to see "Bros" due to Homophobia but are willing to cite racism as a main reason for "The Little Mermaid"'s disappointing Box Office results...Thanks again for the back and forth...And yes, always great and interesting conversations...
Thank you for replying...I actually saw Bros in Hawaii when it first came out...My comment was centered on your explanation for its failed Box Office in the US and Billy Eichner's reaction to it (You broke it down rather in great detail in terms of numbers) but no such details here...
(Also though Europe is incredibly racist in ways we would find shocking in the United States: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp-video/mmvo150335045697)
Agreed ! Same can be said about how Hypocritical the US is in terms of its approach to public safety, children in particular...As an American born and raised in Belgium (And Before any mention...Belgium has a huge history of colonization and racism...like most EU countries) I find the gun violence against children appalling while at the same time am confused about all the fuss around books, or controversial Disney Movies (in FL lately...Strange World asked by kids to be watched)...Finally, if it is about which location (EU or US) is more racist, that is a strange place to be, wouldn't you agree? But if so...How many people of color were shot by police in Europe in the last year ? Or how many books were banned due to Racially themed stories by winning and celebrated authors ? LGBTQ Books ? Again, not a competition I would like to engage in...Both sides are loser on that topic...
Fascinating discussion about this. I loved Alyssa’s points about the way live action unveils more of the physical longing and makes it tough to gloss over. Also why would anyone want to do live action of an animation? Animation is completely free. You can do absolutely anything and it’s only limited by the creativity of the artists.
I went with two 8 yr. old girls, who were super excited to see it. It made me sad to see them exit so deflated. For what it is worth, they loved Beauty & the Beast with real actors?
Crazy, stupid long for kids.
This is the first photo i have seen other than the first 8 seconds of the trailer. She looks waaaaaaay to young compared to Eric. Yikes.