With the highly anticipated live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid just weeks away from its theatrical release, many are curious about if and when it will be available for streaming.
The film follows the adventures of a young mermaid named Ariel, who actress and singer Halle Bailey portrays, as she negotiates with a sea witch to exchange her voice for legs and a chance to experience life on land. The film also stars Jonah Hauer-King, Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, Daveed Diggs, Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina, Noma Dumezweni, Jude Akuwudike, Kajsa Mohammar, Lorena Andrea, and many others.
Although the live-action rendition of The Little Mermaid is set to premiere in theaters at the end of May, according to Rotten Tomatoes, if the movie follows Disney Plus’ streaming protocols, it could be available to watch “between 45 to 90 days” after its theatrical debut. In other words, it could be added to the streaming platform at the end of August. Despite the rumors of the alleged streaming date, it has yet to be officially confirmed by Disney itself.
If the live-action of The Little Mermaid isn’t added around that timeline, it will join two films that were the exception. Coming Soon site reports that Avatar: The Way of Water, which was released last December, is still not available to stream on Disney Plus, although it has passed the three-month timeline Another movie that was considered an exception to the streaming platform’s rules was Marvel’s Black Widow, the action was made available to the same day it premiered in theaters in July 2021. All in all, it is unclear why the rules exist and why some Disney-related projects follow it, and others don’t.
The live-action of The Little Mermaid is set to debut in theater on May 26, and could be available to watch on Disney Plus as early as August 30.