The chilly reception came as viewers in both countries questioned the choice of Bailey as the star of the movie, a decision that has been celebrated elsewhere.In the United States, young Black girls have hailed Disney’s decision, saying they feel represented on the big screen because of her titular role.
“The Little Mermaid” has also done well at the domestic box office, ranking as the number two movie over the past weekend, which is only its second so far in theaters, according to Comscore.
But on IMDb, the film has allegedly been hit by “review bombing,” a practice where users leave negative reviews on a title to try to lower its rating. The issue led IMDb last week to warn of “unusual voting activity” and tweak how it calculates the ratings.
A cold reception
Globally, the film has now brought in an estimated $327 million, with $186 million of that coming domestically and $141 million driven by international audiences, according to Comscore.
China, the world’s second largest box office, has contributed a negligible amount.
Fans in mainland China have shared their objections to the movie online, mainly expressing disappointment with Bailey’s casting.
On Douban, a popular Chinese movie review website, users scored the film just 5.1 out of 10.
On Maoyan, a Chinese movie review and box office tracking platform, one user said they were “puzzled” as “the ‘Little Mermaid’ in my mind is White.” Several others made discriminatory comments about Bailey’s skin color.
“The fairy tale that I grew up with has changed beyond recognition!” wrote another Maoyan user.