‘Aladdin’ Star Mena Massoud Deletes Twitter Account Amid Backlash Over Comments Seemingly Bashing Projected Earnings For ‘The Little Mermaid’

Mena Massoud, Halle Bailey

‘Aladdin’ Star Mena Massoud Deletes Twitter Account Amid Backlash Over Comments Seemingly Bashing Projected Earnings For ‘The Little Mermaid’

Actor Mena Massoud may be a part of the Disney family, but he doesn’t seem to be rooting for the studio’s upcoming project.

Mena Massoud, 31, deleted his Twitter account after facing backlash over a tweet comparing his 2019 live-action Disney movie “Aladdin” to the highly-anticipated “Little Mermaid” film.

The controversy reportedly began over the weekend when Mena Massoud responded to a tweet that shared box office projections between the two Disney films. The tweet reported that “The Little Mermaid” was on track to earn more than “Aladdin” did in its opening weekend.

The report read,

“‘THE LITTLE MERMAID’ is tracking to earn $115M on its domestic box office opening weekend.

In comparison, ‘ALADDIN’ earned $112M on its opening.”

As a response, Mena Massoud tweeted that he doesn’t think “The Little Mermaid” will make $1 billion at the global box office like “Aladdin” did.

Massoud tweeted,

“Our film was unique in that audiences went to watch it multiple times. 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.”

Massoud was quickly met with backlash for his comments, as Twitter users came to the defense of the new “The Little Mermaid,” which stars actress Halle Bailey, 23.

Halle Bailey

The tweet — and Massoud’s account — have since been deleted.

Rapper DDG — Halle Bailey’s boyfriend — recently addressed the actor’s comments via his Twitter account and wrote,

“i never watched Aladdin, and i never will. tell bro when i see ’em it’s up!”

According to reports, the projected earnings for the feature is a 4-day opening of $110M over Memorial Day weekend. Disney’s “Aladdin” reportedly debuted to a 4-day of $116.8M back in pre-pandemic 2019.

“The Little Mermaid” debuts in theaters on May 26.

What are your thoughts on Mena Massoud’s comments on the upcoming movie, “The Little Mermaid?” Tell us below. 

[Sources: 1, 2, 3]