Disney's The Little Mermaid was finally given an official date for when it will be added to Disney+, but it also set a frustrating record in the process.
Disney recently announced that The Little Mermaid will be available to stream on the Disney+ streaming service on Wednesday, September 6.
The film had a fairly successful run at the box office, netting $567.56 million, but it wasn't considered a financial success.
However, it is also regarded as one of the better live-action remakes that Disney has recently released (its current 7.2 IMDb rating is tied with Christopher Robin as the third-highest score of any of Disney's live-action remakes, with Cruella's 7.3 and The Jungle Book's 7.4 being the only ones higher).
The Little Mermaid Sets Frustrating Disney+ Record
The Little Mermaid's Wednesday, September 6 Disney+ premiere date will officially set the record for the longest gap between a theatrical release and streaming date of any movie produced under the Walt Disney Pictures umbrella since the launch of Disney+.
When The Little Mermaid comes out on the streaming platform, it will have been 103 days since it debuted in theaters, and since fans have come to expect fairly short theater-to-streaming wait times, this new record will definitely be frustrating for many subscribers.
In comparison to other theatrical releases that were later added to Disney+, The Little Mermaid's 103 days is a much bigger gap:
- Onward: March 6, 2020 - April 3, 2020 (28 days)
- Mulan: September 4, 2020 - September 4, 2020 (Premiere Access day-and-date, 0 days)
- Soul: December 25, 2020 - December 25, 2020 (Day-and-date, 0 days)
- Raya and the Last Dragon: March 5, 2021 - March 5, 2021 (Premiere Access day-and-date, 0 days)
- Cruella: May 28, 2021 - May 28, 2021 (Premiere Access day-and-date, 0 days)
- Luca: June 18, 2021 - June 18, 2021 (Day-and-date, 0 days)
- Jungle Cruise: July 30, 2021 - July 30, 2021 (Premiere Access day-and-date, 0 days)
- Encanto: November 3, 2021 - December 24, 2021 (51 days)
- Turning Red: March 11, 2022 - March 11, 2022 (Day-and-date, 0 days)
- Lightyear: June 17, 2022 - August 3, 2022 (47 days)
- Strange World: November 23, 2022 - December 23, 2022 (30 days)
- Elemental: June 16, 2023 - TBD (At least 77 days)
- Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: June 30, 2023 - TBD (At least 52 days)
- Haunted Mansion: July 28, 2023 - TBD (At least 24 days)
Why Is The Little Mermaid Taking So Long to Stream?
The Little Mermaid did gross over half a billion dollars at the worldwide box office, so there were a lot of people eager to see the movie.
It also garnered a lot of praise from critics and viewers, causing the overall fan interest to go up for those who hadn't seen the movie yet.
It is important to note that The Little Mermaid wasn't available for digital purchase until July 25.
This means that if Disney would have added the movie to the streaming platform sometime in August, many people would likely not purchase the digital version since they would only have to wait a few weeks to see it with a Disney+ subscription.
With Disney waiting until September to put it out on the streamer, that allows the company to ultimately make more money with the film. Since it was such a success and so well-liked, some fans would not want to wait all the way until September to see it again and be more inclined to purchase it digitally.
The Little Mermaid will be available to stream on Disney+ beginning Wednesday, September 6.
