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Credit: Inside the MagicThe star of the live-action Aladdin has sparked the ire of a number of Little Mermaid fans on Twitter.
Mena Massoud, who was cast in the titular role in the 2019 film, posted a comment online trying to compare the two films and guess at how the upcoming live-action Little Mermaid will perform when it releases in theaters at the end of the month.
He was replying to a post that was forecasting how much money The Little Mermaid would make in its opening weekend – the post compared that projection to the opening figures for Aladdin, which were a few thousand dollars lower.
Massoud, in turn made his own guesses about how the film will do in comparison.
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 TLM doesn’t cross the billion mark but will undoubtedly get a sequel
— Mena Massoud (@MenaMassoud) May 12, 2023
Related: Live-Action ‘The Little Mermaid’ Officially Outsells Original
The tone of this tweet seemed neutral enough, but avid advocates for The Little Mermaid seemed to take great offense.
Twitter user @ifiwerearoy had an issue with the idea that people wouldn’t want to rewatch The Little Mermaid.
Why do you assume that people won’t rewatch TLM when many people have already preordered multiple tickets? Don’t underestimate the cult following behind this film. It’s bigger than nostalgic Disney fans but there’s a huge number of people flocking to it because of representation
Why do you assume that people won’t rewatch TLM when many people have already preordered multiple tickets? Don’t underestimate the cult following behind this film. It’s bigger than nostalgic Disney fans but there’s a huge number of people flocking to it because of representation
— Roy 🧜🏽♂️ (@ifiwerearoy) May 13, 2023
User @TheBlessedAdele simply said:
Get a job.
get a job
— The Blessed Thomas🪐 (@TheBlessedAdele) May 13, 2023
Related: Disney Adds Controversial ‘Aladdin’ Star to Live-Action ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Cast
This commentary was based on the fact that Massoud has not had a major Hollywood role since Aladdin came out, which is incredibly unusual given the scale of the film.
User @filminterests spoke to this factor in his comment:
Listen man I understand how Hollywood left you in the ditch and it’s unfair but that’s a horrible assumption to make from you.
listen man I understand how Hollywood left you in the ditch and it's unfair but that's a horrible assumption to make from you
— barry berkman. #WGASolidarity (@filminterests) May 13, 2023
Related: Here’s What Critics Are Saying About ‘The Little Mermaid’
Meanwhile, user @hallebaliley cut to the core of what she thinks the real issue is: Jealousy that people seem more excited for The Little Mermaid than they were for Aladdin.
Psychotherapy is a cure for jealousy I could book an appointment for you if you need it DMs open anytime!
Psychotherapy is a cure for jealousy I could book an appointment for you if you need it DMs open anytime! 💞
— halle Bailey is Ariel 🧜🏾♀️ (@hallebaliley) May 13, 2023
The live-action version of Disney’s Aladdin released in August of 2019 to moderately postitive critical reviews. While some critics thought it was a perfectly decent film, a large number of them seemed to agree that the film was a pale imitation of the original, and, beyond some additional character development, did nothing to add to or transform the story for the new medium.
Massoud may not have had any big Hollywood roles since the film debuted, but he has been succeeding in other ways; he is currently the host of the popular Crave series Evolving Vegan.
Evolving Vegan is a series where Mena Massoud tours different cities in search of the best, most delicious vegan food out there, and it’s very popular with those who are interested in alternative cuisine. Massoud has been hosting the series for five years.
Ate my way through the best #plantbased restaurants in Portland on Episode 2 of #EvolvingVegan pic.twitter.com/rbNmefIfC0
— Mena Massoud (@MenaMassoud) April 11, 2023
Those who are already his fans, however, didn’t seem to want to be involved in the drama – they just wanted the stars to support each other, in true Disney spirit.
User @ErleenWeslynbug said:
Aladdin is my FAVORITE live action as of today! It was fun, magical, and everything the original Disney Aladdin was and more. It deserved its 1Billion earnings but I dont see why TLM doesnt deserve to accomplish the same. We’re a disney family over here, no need to drag anyone.
Aladdin is my FAVORITE live action as of today! It was fun, magical, and everything the original Disney Aladdin was and more. It deserved its 1Billion earnings but I dont see why TLM doesnt deserve to accomplish the same. We're a disney family over here, no need to drag anyone.
— ZenameisLagoona-TLM Era🌊 (@ErleenWeslynbug) May 13, 2023
Overall, it seems the support for The Little Mermaid is incredibly strong online. Time will tell if the hype translates to the billions of dollars in ticket sales everyone seems convinced that it will.
Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid flips its fins into theaters on May 26.
Do you think Mena Massoud was wrong to tweet that? Are you going to see The Little Mermaid in theaters? Let us know in the comments.