Video: Fight Breaks Out During Screening Of 'The Little Mermaid'
By Kelly Coffey-Behrens on May 31, 2023 at 8:00 PM EDT
Disney's live-action "The Little Mermaid" swam into theaters last weekend and is already breaking records.
Despite backlash surrounding Halle Bailey being cast as Ariel, the Disney film topped the box office by bringing in over $95 million opening weekend.
During one of the screenings of the film, unfortunately, a fight broke out between two viewers, causing disruption and chaos.
Fight Breaks Out During "The Little Mermaid"
In a video shared to TikTok, an adult female screams at someone else while "The Little Mermaid" plays in the background. From the looks of it, the film had already begun and was approximately 30-45 minutes in, as the song "Under the Sea" was seen playing in the background.
Viewers hear the woman yelling, "In front of my daughter?" and "Don't yell at me in front of my daughter." The woman also called the other person involved a "b*tch."
It is unclear whether the two involved in the altercation knew one another.
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A man later enters the picture and yells, "Hey, hey, hey, what's going on?" before another man comes over. It is unclear if the men are related to either the woman involved in the altercation or if they were bystanders who just happened to be seeing the movie.
According to the video, the screening was at an Orlando, Florida theater.
"The Little Mermaid" Box Office Records
Disney's live-action remake of "The Little Mermaid" is breaking records as it earned the fifth-highest Memorial Day weekend opening ever. The film brought in $117.5 million in its first four days in theaters in the United States.
When Disney first announced Halle Bailey would portray the iconic role of Ariel, many were outraged and even used the hashtag #NotMyAriel to voice their opinions on the casting decision. However, despite the backlash, it seems Halle Bailey is proving all critics wrong. Her portrayal of Ariel is now deemed "emotional" and "breathtaking" by fans, and the film is breaking box office records.
Bailey opened up about the backlash, admitting that she expected it. "As a Black person, you just expect it, and it's not a shock anymore," Bailey told The Face in a recent interview." When [Chlöe and I] first signed to Parkwood, [Beyoncé] always said,' I never read my comments. Don't ever read the comments.' Honestly, when the teaser came out, I was at the D23 Expo, and I was so happy. I didn't see any of the negativity."
She added, "I know people are like:' It's not about race.' But now that I'm here…People don't understand that there's this whole other community when you're Black. It's so essential for us to see ourselves."
Halle Bailey Has A Message For Fans
Ahead of its theater debut, the Ariel actress had a message to all her younger fans who have never seen themselves as their favorite princesses.
"I hope that they just know that they are worthy, and we deserve to be in these spaces," Bailey told "Good Morning America" when on the red carpet for the world premiere of the live-action "The Little Mermaid." "And I hope they see themselves and me on the screen."
"I'm just grateful to be here," she continued before naming other African-American actresses who took on the role of a Disney Princess. "There were women before me like Brandy and Anika Rose who were the blueprint for me even to be here today, so I'm just taking this moment all in," Bailey told the ABC show.
Disney's live-action "The Little Mermaid" hit theaters last weekend and stars Halle Bailey as Ariel, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, and Jacob Tremblay as Flounder.
