Aladdin actor in hot water over box-office remarks

IT appears that Aladdin actor Mena Massoud has deleted his Twitter account after facing intense backlash for a tweet that claimed the upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid would not cross the billion-dollar mark at the box office.

Massoud's comment was in response to another tweet comparing the box office openings of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin.

“The Little Mermaid is tracking to earn $115 million (RM517.8 million) on its domestic box office opening weekend', the original tweet said.

“In comparison, Aladdin earned $112 million (RM504.3 million) on its opening.”

In his now-deleted response, Massoud said: “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 The Little Mermaid doesn’t cross the billion mark but will undoubtedly get a sequel.”

The tweet quickly landed Massoud in the eye of a Twitter storm, with fans quick to chastise the actor for his “bitter” comments, questioning why he bothered making the comments in the first place.

Backlash towards Massoud appears to be particularly intense considering the fact that The Little Mermaid has already been the subject of heavy speculation following the announcement that a black woman would portray Ariel in the live-action film.

Following the rush of criticism, Massoud swiftly deleted his Twitter account.

Starring Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King and Awkwafina in lead roles, The Little Mermaid will hit theatres on May 26.

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