When Will The Little Mermaid Release On Disney Plus?

Following the live-action remake’s exclusive run in theaters, The Little Mermaid is expected to stream on Disney Plus later this year. The Little Mermaid is Disney’s latest entry in its growing slate of live-action remakes of animated classics, following box office smashes like The Lion King, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and Alice in Wonderland. Arriving 34 years after Disney’s original animated movie, 2023’s The Little Mermaid stars Halle Bailey as Ariel, a young mermaid princess who makes a deal with the villainous sea witch Ursula to exchange her voice for human legs, and to be with Prince Eric on land before time runs out.

Ahead of The Little Mermaid, Disney has released a dozen live-action remakes of animated movies since the billion-dollar box office success of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. Only three remakes – Lady and the Tramp, Pinocchio, and Peter Pan & Wendy – were launched exclusively on Disney Plus, with the remainder of Disney’s many live-action remakes being massive box office hits. The Little Mermaid is projected to be no different after such long anticipation for the 2023 movie, so the film won’t begin streaming anytime soon while the studio prioritizes its theatrical success. While no dates have been confirmed, The Little Mermaid is still expected to stream on Disney Plus before the end of the year, and will be released on digital even sooner.

The Little Mermaid Will Likely Start Streaming On Disney Plus In September 2023

Although it took nearly six months for Avatar: The Way of Water to hit Disney Plus, the wait for The Little Mermaid’s streaming release date isn’t apt to be this long. Disney’s first big 2023 theatrical movie to hit Disney Plus was Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which dropped on the streaming service exactly three months after its premiere. While still considered a flop given its massive budget, Ant-Man 3 went on to accumulate over $476 million at the box office, suggesting a three-month streaming delay could become the norm for Disney’s high-grossing releases. If so, The Little Mermaid could start streaming on Disney Plus as soon as August 30, 2023, as the streaming service drops new titles on Wednesdays.

However, The Little Mermaid is projected to record a much higher box office gross than Ant-Man 3, potentially around the $1 billion mark. As such, it may take slightly longer for The Little Mermaid to begin streaming on Disney Plus so that the studio can take advantage of the summer blockbuster season. The better estimate for its Disney Plus release date would therefore be after the summer ends, so The Little Mermaid will most likely begin streaming after Labor Day weekend in September 2023. Ultimately, The Little Mermaid’s box office success, legs in theaters throughout the summer, and streaming release strategy for the high-grossing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be the best indicators for when the live-action remake hits Disney Plus.

The Little Mermaid Will Likely Release On Digital In July 2023

Although The Little Mermaid may not start streaming until the end of the summer, the Disney remake will be available to rent or purchase from digital retailers before then. Disney has yet to confirm The Little Mermaid’s VOD release date, but it’s expected to arrive on digital platforms in late July 2023. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania became available for rental or purchase from digital retailers like Amazon Prime Video on April 18, approximately 8.5 weeks after its theatrical release. If The Little Mermaid follows a similar release strategy, then it could hit digital platforms as early as July 25, 2023, given VOD’s typical Tuesday release dates.