Snow White’s Flop Questions Disney’s Big Budget Remakes
The underwhelming performance of “Snow White” at the box office has led some to question Disney’s approach when creating live-action remakes. Known for its stellar reputation in family entertainment, Walt Disney Animation Studios first made a mark with the 1937 release of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” the first full-length animated film produced in the U.S. Over the years, they have added numerous iconic animated features to cinematic history, particularly during their Golden Age (which encompasses films like “Pinocchio” from 1941 and “Dumbo” from 1942) and the Disney Renaissance (which includes “The Little Mermaid” from 1989 and “Beauty and the Beast” from 1991).
Lately, the division WDAS within Walt Disney Studios has been creating a growing number of live-action reboots. This trend really picked up steam after Tim Burton’s 2010 remake of “Alice in Wonderland” from 1951, a big-budget film that raked in over $1 billion at the box office. Since then, Disney has produced several live-action blockbusters, like “Beauty and the Beast” in 2017, “Aladdin” and “The Lion King” both in 2019. However, the upcoming “Snow White” movie from 2025, directed by Marc Webb and starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, has failed to meet their expected box office earnings.
How Much Did Snow White Cost (And How Much Did It Make Back)?
It Is One Of Disney’s Most Expensive Remakes
As a movie enthusiast, I must admit that one of the challenges facing Disney’s recent remake of Snow White has been its hefty production costs. With reshoots pushing the budget up, reports suggest that the final figure could have reached an astounding $250 million, with some even claiming it to be as high as $270 million. Given that movies usually need to earn back a staggering 2.5 times their production costs just to turn a profit in cinemas, this means the remake would have needed to rake in around $625 million. Unfortunately, not only has it failed to reach this target, but it hasn’t even managed to recoup its own production cost yet.
Before completing its fifth weekend in cinemas worldwide, the 2025 film managed to gather a global box office sum of $183.4 million. This figure is broken down into a domestic gross of $83.1 million and an international gross of $100.3 million. Some of this low performance might be attributed to the backlash against Snow White, which has arisen from numerous disputes regarding the film’s portrayal of the seven dwarfs, as well as contrasting views on Israel and Palestine held by Gal Gadot and Rachel Zegler. Additionally, it may be linked to the movie’s unfavorable reviews, given its current 39% rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
How Many Of Disney’s Live-Action Remakes Made Back Their Budget?
Snow White’s Level Of Underperformance Is A Rarity
Currently, Snow White and Mulan (from 2020) are two of Disney’s direct live-action remakes that failed to recover their production costs in cinemas. While Mulan had its release affected by the global theater closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it didn’t have a traditional U.S. release but instead debuted on Disney+ as a premium video-on-demand option. On the other hand, Snow White didn’t recoup its budget in theaters either.
The Lion King):
or
The Lion King):
| Title | Budget | Worldwide Box Office |
|---|---|---|
| 101 Dalmatians (1996) | $67 million | $320.7 million |
| Alice in Wonderland (2010) | ~$200 million | $1.025 billion |
| Cinderella (2015) | $90 million | $542.4 million |
| The Jungle Book (2016) | ~$177 million | $966.6 million |
| Beauty and the Beast (2017) | ~$255 million | $1.266 billion |
| Dumbo (2019) | $170 million | $353.3 million |
| Aladdin (2019) | $183 million | $1.054 billion |
| The Lion King (2019) | ~$260 million | $1.657 billion |
| Mulan (2020) | $200 million | $69.9 million |
| The Little Mermaid (2023) | $240.2 million | $569.6 million |
| Snow White | ~$250 million | $183.4 million |
Apart from Snow White and Mulan, nearly all Disney’s past live-action remakes managed to recoup their production costs in theaters. The exceptions might be Dumbo from 2019, which significantly missed its projected $425 million break-even point, grossing only $353.3 million worldwide, and Rob Marshall’s 2023 The Little Mermaid, which fell slightly short of its estimated $600.5 million break-even point by earning $569.6 million. Given its close call, The Little Mermaid might have made up for the difference with earnings from video on demand.
Some Disney Live-Action Remakes Didn’t Make Any Money At The Box Office
Disney Has Produced Several Streaming Exclusives
Apart from four Disney movies that didn’t seem to be profitable in theaters, there are also several live-action remakes that were never intended for a theatrical release initially. Instead, these titles made their debut as exclusive content on Disney+. The streaming platform’s collection of such exclusives includes the 2019 adaptation of Lady and the Tramp, starring Tessa Thompson and Justin Theroux, the 2022 version of Pinocchio, directed by Robert Zemeckis of Back to the Future fame, and the 2023 release of Peter Pan & Wendy, directed by David Lowery who previously worked on Disney’s 2016 remake of Pete’s Dragon .
Due to the fact that the financials of streaming services are less transparent compared to movie theaters, it’s hard to find information about how much revenue these three Disney+ remakes generated for Walt Disney Studios. It appears that it is rather improbable that their streaming performance could have covered their significant production costs. The budget of ‘Peter Pan & Wendy’ hasn’t been disclosed yet, but ‘Lady and the Tramp’ cost $60 million and ‘Pinocchio’ had a budget of $150 million. Even without needing to recoup more than twice their production costs (since they didn’t play in cinemas), these movies still face a tough financial hurdle with such high costs.
Is Disney’s Live-Action Gamble Really Worth It?
Even Billion-Dollar Hits Might Not Justify Remaking More Movies
Despite the fact that “Snow White” fell short in movie theaters, numerous Disney live-action adaptations have been massive hits. It’s possible that this trend could continue, especially with upcoming projects like “Lilo & Stitch,” which marks the first time one of their most commercially popular characters is brought to life on screen, and “Moana” in 2026, a follow-up to the successful “Moana 2” that will hit theaters just two years later. However, given the high costs associated with many live-action remakes, there’s a question about whether Disney is generating enough revenue from this subgenre overall.
The total budget for the theatrical remakes amounts to a whopping $2.092 billion. In essence, this implies an estimated collective break-even point of approximately $5.23 billion. Since their combined box office earnings amount to around $8.008 billion, they’re collectively raking in a massive profit in the billions. However, the challenges posed by Disney+’s titles could significantly narrow this profit margin, particularly if future remakes mimic the success of Snow White. This could suggest that Disney might need to reconsider its pace or at least decrease their budgets substantially to minimize risks.
Read More
- Clash Royale Best Boss Bandit Champion decks
- MAFS Couple Rhi and Jeff Spotted Together: Are They Stronger Than Ever?
- Jacqui Burfoot Reveals Shocking MAFS Secrets: Ryan’s X-Rated Comment Exposed!
- JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run anime confirmed: Release date, trailer, and more!
- FC Mobile 25 Hero Chronicles event Guide and Tips
- Aussie Radio Star Kyle Sandilands Renovates $3M Glenorie Mansion After Brain Aneurysm Diagnosis
- Justin Bieber Shuts Down Rumors of $20M Debt and Financial Collapse—What’s Really Going On?
- Mickey Rourke’s Shocking Comment Leaves Patsy Palmer in Tears on Celebrity Big Brother!
- Unbelievable Coachella Fashion: Kylie, Hailey, and Cardi B Steal the Show!
- Justin Bieber’s Shocking New Look: Goatee and Slipping Slacks Spark Fan Concerns!
2025-04-20 12:50