As “The Little Mermaid” live-action is receiving a poor response in Asian markets such as China and Korea, a US media blame it on racism.
On June 5th, an article titled “Box Office: ‘The Little Mermaid’ Gets Doused in China, South Korea After Racist Backlash” was published on the American media outlet “The Hollywood Reporter”.
In particular, the article stated that the live-action version of “The Little Mermaid” is receiving a poor response in Asia, particularly in the Chinese and South Korean markets.
Explaining this, The Hollywood Reporter wrote, “‘The Little Mermaid’ is getting doused in select foreign markets amid a racist backlash over the casting of Black actress Halle Bailey in the role of Ariel”, adding, “Disney knew ‘The Little Mermaid’ could face challenges, but is surprised by the extent of the backlash and its impact.”
In addition, sources believe this has resulted in unverified audience reviews bashing the movie. In South Korea, such opinions have gone viral, even making headlines, while Korean audiences have also expressed their coldness towards the film with the hashtag #NotMyAriel, indicating that this is not the Ariel they know.
Meanwhile, negative comments on social media platforms are also abundant in China. The Global Times, a newspaper affiliated with the Chinese government, even published an editorial criticizing Disney’s intentions.
Japan will be the final key market in Asia, and Disney is eagerly awaiting the response from Japanese audiences as the film got released on June 9th. However, “The Little Mermaid” will have to face formidable competitors, such as “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” and “Sailor Moon”.
On the other hand, Asian audiences express that the failure of “The Little Mermaid” is not necessarily due to racism. According to them, movies featuring black leads, such as “Spider-Mean: Into the Spider-Verse”, the two “Black Panther” movies, and “Get Out” achieved notable successes in the past, and it is other factors that cause “The Little Mermaid”s disappointing response.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter, VKR
