Ahead of The Little Mermaid's theatrical release, Aladdin lead star Mena Massoud's latest controversial tweet led to fan backlash.
The Little Mermaid recently received strong reactions from critics, which serves as a promising sign for its box office predictions.
At this stage, Disney's upcoming remake is projected to make between $110 million to $130 million during its opening weekend.
Mena Massoud Leaves Twitter Amid Fan Backlash
When responding to a fan about The Little Mermaid's box office potential, Aladdin actor Mena Massoud predicted that the Halle Bailey-led movie will not "cross the billion mark," but it will "undoubtedly" receive the green light for a sequel:
“Our film was unique in that audiences went to watch it multiple times. It’s the only way we reached the billion-dollar mark with our opening. My guess is ['The Little Mermaid'] doesn’t cross the billion mark but will undoubtedly get a sequel.”
Massoud's tweet sparked controversy online as The Little Mermaid supporters reacted to his post and they were clearly not happy.
@irissirens didn't hold back in reacting to the actor's tweet, referring to Massoud's past comments in December 2019 about how he was still unable to book any auditions following the success of Aladdin:
"Your film reached a billion but you’re still jobless… seems like you got other things to worry about."
@Elliott_Bull2 perfectly summarized Massoud's current situation:
"Mena Massoud [chose] violence with that comment about 'The Little Mermaid's' box office and now 'TLM' stans are coming after him."
@ComplexCut is all-out in its support for The Little Mermaid while also addressing Massoud:
"[Mena Massoud], you're pea green with envy because your CGI monster snooze fest of a very bastardized Aladdin made a billion dollars, got forgotten, & you were never cast in anything meaningful again. Halle Bailey is a true star & 'The Little Mermaid' is about to eclipse everything."
In its latest tweet, Pop Crave pointed out that Massoud already deactivated his Twitter account following the controversy.
Will Disney Develop The Little Mermaid 2?
Mena Massoud's comment about The Little Mermaid was clearly unexpected.
Some have theorized that Massoud's remarks stem from his recent mention on Twitter that a follow-up movie to Aladdin is now "very unlikely at this point," despite the first film earning over $1 billion at the box office.
Whatever the case, Massoud caught the ire of The Little Mermaid diehards and it will be a while before the actor can recover from the mishap.
When it comes to sequels, a possible follow-up to The Little Mermaid will heavily depend on the movie's critical and box office success. Moreover, it would also rely on the audience's interest to see the next chapter of Ariel's story.
The Little Mermaid lead star Halle Bailey already hyped up the movie by teasing its huge difference from the original, with the actress saying that it involves changing Ariel's perspective of "just her wanting to leave the ocean for a boy."
If the team behind The Little Mermaid managed to come up with an interesting story, then a sequel might not be far behind.
The Little Mermaid is set to premiere in theaters on Friday, May 26.
