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Aladdin star Mena Massoud has appeared to shade the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid ahead of its release. Massoud played the title character in the 2019 reimagining of Aladdin, which grossed over $1 billion at the worldwide box office.
"Our film was unique in that audiences went to watch it multiple times," Massoud wrote on Twitter (H/T Yahoo!). "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." The actor has since deactivated his Twitter account.
For a while, it seemed the live-action Aladdin was set to get a sequel of its own, with a 2020 report from The Hollywood Reporter indicating that a second film was in the works. Since then, though, the project appears to have ground to a halt.
"I don't know that there is movement," Massoud said back in 2022. "There was a change with the writers, and they are working on a brand new draft. That's all I know. If Aladdin 2 happens, that's fantastic. I think it should happen. Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich of Rideback Productions, who did the Lego movies and Aladdin, want to make sure they get this right. So if we do see Aladdin 2, it's not going to be based off the animated version at all. This is going to be a brand new original story." Since then, though, the actor has said the sequel is "very unlikely at this point."
The Little Mermaid, meanwhile, is predicted to bring in $110 million over Memorial Day weekend (H/T Deadline), which is slightly down on Aladdin's $116.8 million four day opening weekend.
None of Disney's live-action remakes have had a sequel released just yet, though there is a prequel to The Lion King in the works from director Barry Jenkins.
The Little Mermaid arrives in theaters this May 26, 2023. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming Disney movies for everything else the House of Mouse has in store.
