After receiving backlash from The Little Mermaid fans, Mena Massoud, known for his role in Aladdin, decided to delete his Twitter account.
The actor found himself in controversy when he hinted that the forthcoming live-action rendition of The Little Mermaid, featuring Halle Bailey, may not reach the billion-dollar mark but would “undoubtedly” get a sequel. Massoud was responding to a speculation from a Twitter account, that anticipated the opening weekend earnings of The Little Mermaid would gained approximately $115 million. Aladdin’s opening weekend earned $112 million.
“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,” he wrote.
Massoud faced severe criticism for his statement, leading him to completely remove his Twitter account.
During a 2019 interview, Massoud disclosed that he had not received any audition opportunities since the release of the film. Additionally, Massoud clarified that there were numerous misconceptions surrounding his perceived success after Aladdin.
‘”He must have made millions. He must be getting all these offers,” he paraphrased. “It’s none of those things. I haven’t had a single audition since Aladdin came out. It’s like, I’m sitting here being like, okay, Aladdin just hit $1 billion — can I at least get an audition? Like I’m not expecting you to be like, “Here’s Batman.” But can I just get in the room? … Can you just give me a chance?”
