No jolt despite the controversies. The film version of Disney's "The Little Mermaid," by Rob Marshall, won as soon as it was released in France the first place at the box office, dethroning "Fast & Furious X," according to figures released Wednesday by CBO Box Office.
The Adventures of Ariel, starring Halle Bailey in the title role and Javier Bardem as her father, attracted 582,814 spectators in 578 theaters, which is the director's second best performance after "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Fountain of Youth" (2011), with 1.6 million admissions in the first week.
The choice to entrust the role of Ariel to a black actress had been controversial, especially in the United States. This did not prevent the film from also placing at the top of the box office across the Atlantic.
"Fast & Furious" in second place
The latest installment of the "Fast & Furious" saga slipped at the French box office to second place with 514,473 spectators in 753 theaters and reached a total of 1.6 million admissions for its second week of operation.
The leading trio is closed by the third episode of "Guardians of the Galaxy", of the Marvel universe, which brings together 305,098 spectators in 839 theaters for its fourth week. This feature film tops the ranking of action films in 2023 with 2.9 million admissions.
"Love and the Forests" starring Virginie Efira, presented at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, is the second novelty to enter the top 10 and ranks fourth with 220,327 admissions.
