The Little Mermaid live-action adaptation from Disney as well as Fast X, the last entry in Universal’s long-running Fast & Furious action series, have been approved for theatrical release in China. Dates have yet to be determined for both movies in a market that is progressively giving out day-and-date releases for Hollywood productions, despite the recent lukewarm response from viewers. Hope blossoms.
Rob Marshall’s The Little Mermaid, which stars Halle Bailey as Ariel, debuts in other countries on May 24 and reaches North America on May 26.
The international portion of Fast X, directed by Louis Leterrier, begins on May 17 and the U.S. and Canada participate on May 19. With the release of Fast & Furious 6 in 2013, the Fast film franchise (which includes Hobbs & Shaw) has brought in over $1.2 billion in China. In 2021, F9 had a staggered international release, with China getting out a full five weeks ahead of domestic due to a rebound in international markets.
Fast X‘s first trailer was published by Uni last month. The story begins with street racer Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his gang attempting to fend off the two major baddies who are after them: cyberterrorist Cipher (Charlize Theron) and her enigmatic sidekick Dante (Jason Momoa). They are assisted in their efforts by a new acquaintance named Tess (Brie Larson).
The Little Mermaid is based on the 1837 fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen which was the inspiration for Disney’s Oscar-winning 1989 animated film of the same name. The youngest and most rebellious of King Triton’s (Javier Bardem) daughters, Ariel is the focus of this film. Ariel is curious about the world above the water, and while visiting the surface, she develops feelings for the handsome Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King). Mermaids aren’t supposed to talk to humans, but Ariel has to do what she feels. She strikes a pact with Ursula, the wicked sea witch (Melissa McCarthy), endangering both her life and her father’s throne in the process.
The voices of Sebastian are provided by Tony Award winner Daveed Diggs, Flounder by Jacob Tremblay, Scuttle by Awkwafina, Sir Grimsby by Art Malik, and Queen Selina by Noma Dumezweni.
