Written by: TFV-PR • June 13, 2024• Art Scene

Magical Musicals; The Little Mermaid (1989) is Florida’s best loved musical

A new study has revealed Florida’s most loved musical films.

The study, conducted by musical theatre tickets company SeatPlan, looked at the most searched for movie musicals in America, determining the most popular by the number of total monthly searches on Google using the tool Google Keyword Planner. This was then separated into the top 10 movies for each state, ranked in order of most searched.

#1 The Little Mermaid (1989)

The study revealed Florida’s number one film is The Little Mermaid (1989), as the state searches for the film an average of 83,080 times per month.

Upon its release, the film grossed $84 million in the US box office and $211 million globally, according to IMDb.

The film went on to win two Oscars for, with song-writer Alan Menken picking up the award for Best Original Song for “Under the Sea” alongside Best Original Score overall. Presently, the Oscar winning soundtrack has just under one billion streams on Spotify.

#2 Wonka (2023)

Wonka (2023) ranked as the second most loved, with 80,600 average searches each month.

The film, which stars Timothée Chalamet in the title role, grossed over $632 million worldwide last year, making it the seventh highest-grossing movie of 2023. Wonka was the most searched for film in 28 states, with Illinois being the most interested, where searches on average total over 37,800 times each month.

The film is directed and co-written by Paddington 1 and 2 director Paul King who is known for his abilities in capturing the magic of family friendly films. The director mentioned that on set they had a live chocolatier making the candy you see in the film, but this made him gain ‘50 pounds’ over the course of filming due to how delicious the chocolate was.

#3 The Color Purple (2023)

Next in line with 56,148 average monthly searches is The Color Purple (2023). The film was famously snubbed at this year’s Oscars, with it only receiving one nomination for actress Danielle Brooks who was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role.

#4 Trolls (2016)

Following is Trolls (2016). Trolls (2016) has an average of 52,142 monthly searches in the state, proving the fourth most popular.

Based on the iconic doll figures, the film stars Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake and was a hit upon its release, sparking two sequels.

The movie had a $125 million budget, grossed $347 million globally, and was the sixth highest grossing children’s movie in 2016.

#5 Moana (2016)

Moana (2016) was revealed as the fifth most popular, citing 44,823 searches each month.

The much-loved film made over $687 million at the global box office, and the soundtrack proves popular too – its most streamed song, “How Far I’ll Go”, currently has over 600 million streams on Spotify.

#6 The Grinch (2018)

With 44,524 searches each month, The Grinch (2018) also proved most popular with audiences in the state.

The animated film, which features Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular character, alongside stars such as Angela Lansbury and Pharrell Williams, cost $75 million to make but ended up earning over $540 million at the box office – nearly $200 million more than the previous How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000).

#7 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Next in line, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) ranked as seventh most popular, receiving an average of 35,900 searches each month on Google.

Marking the first Disney princess movie ever, the film is currently 86 years old and will celebrate its 90^th birthday in 2027.

#8 Cinderella (1950)

Ranking eighth most popular is Cinderella (1950), which amasses over 32,492 total searches a month.

The film is Disney’s second princess film and was hugely successful, making $182 million at the box office globally. Audiences are still enamored with the princess and her story, and the live action remake in 2015 proved this, making $540.5 million at the box office.

#9 The Little Mermaid (2023)

The penultimate favorite on this list goes to The Little Mermaid (2023). Each month, there are over 32,128 searches for the film.

Upon its release last year, the film became the tenth highest-grossing film of 2023 and made over $568.3 million at the worldwide box office. The role was actress Halle Bailey’s first lead role and her version of “Part of Your World” proved very popular, which currently has over 22 million views on YouTube.

#10 Encanto (2021)

Last but not least, Encanto (2021) ranks as the tenth most loved film in the state, with approximately 28,923 searches each month.

Despite the film being released in a tumultuous year for theatres following the pandemic, Encanto captured audiences’ hearts and made $256 million at the box office. Multiple songs from the film were instant successes, with “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” being the standout, currently with over 500 million Spotify streams globally.

Commenting on the popularity of movie musicals, Ben Jackson, CEO of SeatPlan, said: “Since the birth of sound in film, movie musicals have been incredibly popular. This still reigns true today, with audiences flocking to movie theatres or streaming platforms when new ones are released.

“It is interesting to note the popularity of animated musicals in comparison to the number of live action films. Disney has been adapting their classic animated films into live-action ones frequently in the last decade, no doubt looking for more success and earnings like the original movies did. In the top ten, there are multiple Disney classics, perhaps speaking to the preference many have for the nostalgia of the originals.

“The timeless appeal of movie musicals is evident in both classic films that rank high on the list, such as Snow White, as well as more modern ones like Moana. As long as there is a love for musicals from audiences, films such as these will continue to thrive, and it will be exciting to see which of the newer ones become classics in the future. It will be even more exciting to see which ones appear on stage in Broadway and London’s West End when Frozen closes in September… could Snow White be next?”

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Last modified: June 13, 2024