‘The Little Mermaid’ blows the doors off Disney Plus with its streaming debut

It’s almost the one-week anniversary of Rob Marshall’s The Little Mermaid joining the ranks of Disney Plus, and if Disney putting out a film that somehow didn’t bomb at the box office wasn’t impressive enough, then The Little Mermaid‘s ability to find life after its theatrical bow just might be.

After nearly a week of being available on streaming, the Halle Bailey-led musical has netted a whopping 16 million views worldwide, marking the streamer’s largest debut of the year and one of its biggest-ever openings. It may not be making quite the same pop culture splash that it did when we were first gearing up for it, but we’re sure The Little Mermaid doesn’t miss the accompanying heat that came with that particular part of its life.

In any case, it’s no surprise that The Little Mermaid has been posting the numbers that it has; not only is it one of Disney’s highest-profile live-action adaptations ever, but there’s no denying its strength as a fantastic family-night movie that some might say makes the home-viewing experience stronger than its theatrical one.

Furthermore, Disney Plus availability makes it that much easier to compare and contrast The Little Mermaid with the original 1989 film, as a number of Disney connoisseurs have no doubt already done, and, as someone who has done exactly that, I can say that it’s a supremely interesting endeavor that might greet you with some surprising findings. I, for instance, found both films to be equal in quality, but with wildly varying strengths and weaknesses.

So, for those of you who somehow haven’t taken The Littler Mermaid plunge yet, it’s now available to stream on Disney Plus; perhaps the world can push it to 17 million by tomorrow.