Snow White’s box office underperformance has called Disney’s methods for producing live-action remakes into question. Walt Disney Animation Studios is one of the most renowned companies in family entertainment, having kicked off a run of iconic features with 1937’sSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which was the first feature-length animated movie produced in the United States. Since then, they have contributed a number of iconic animated features to the cinema canon, particularly in their Golden Age (which includes 1941’sPinocchioand 1942’sDumbo) and the Disney Renaissance (which includes 1989’sThe Little Mermaidand 1991’sBeauty and the Beast).
Recently, Walt Disney Studios (of which WDAS is a division) has produced an increasing number of live-action remakes. This trend began to reach full force in the wake of Tim Burton’s 2010 remake of 1951’sAlice in Wonderland, a star-studded affair that netted more than $1 billion at the box office. Since then, Disney has produced multiple billion-dollar live-action remakes, including 2017’sBeauty and the Beastand 2019’sAladdinandThe Lion King. However,2025’sSnow White, which was directed by Marc Webb and stars Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, hasfallen far short of their lofty box office totals.
How Much Did Snow White Cost (And How Much Did It Make Back)?
It Is One Of Disney’s Most Expensive Remakes
One of the biggest issues with the box office performance of Disney’s latest remake is its sizable price tag. Reportedly, theSnow Whitebudget, which ballooned amid reshoots, reached a total of roughly $250 million, though some reported have it even higher, at around $270 million. Because movies typically need to earn back two and a half times their budgets in order to turn a profit in theaters,this most likely places the remake’s break-even point somewhere around $625 million. Not only has it not hit that total, it has not even earned back the same amount that it cost.
Break-even points are higher than movies' budgets because theaters keep half of ticket sales and marketing costs are not factored into production budgets.
Ahead of its ongoing fifth weekend in global theaters,the 2025 movie had only hit a global box office total of $183.4 million, split between an $83.1 million domestic gross and $100.3 million from international markets. Part of this may be due to the ampleSnow Whitebacklash, which stems from a variety of controversies surrounding the movie’s depiction of the original story’s seven dwarfs, Gadot and Zegler’s opposing opinions on Israel and Palestine, and much more. It could also be related to the movie’s negative critical reception, as it currently holds a 39% score from 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
At the time of writing,Snow Whiteis one of just two of Disney’s direct live-action remakes to not have made its budget backin theaters. The other installment not to hit that mark was 2020’sMulan, which cost $200 million and only made $69.9 million during its theatrical run. However, that movie’s release was heavily compromised, as it premiered during a time when there were widespread theatrical shutdowns amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, it didn’t ever have a major release in the United States, where it debuted at a premium VOD price point on the streaming service Disney+.
Below,see a breakdown of the budgets and worldwide box office totalsofevery Disney live-action remakethat was released in theaters and isn’t a reimagining (likeMaleficent), a sequel (likeAlice Through the Looking Glass), or a prequel (likeMufasa: The Lion King):
$67 million
$320.7 million
~$200 million
$1.025 billion
$90 million
$542.4 million
~$177 million
$966.6 million
Beauty and the Beast(2017)
~$255 million
$1.266 billion
$170 million
$353.3 million
$183 million
$1.054 billion
~$260 million
$1.657 billion
$200 million
$69.9 million
$240.2 million
$569.6 million
~$250 million
$183.4 million
In addition to every movie butSnow WhiteandMulanmaking back their budgets in theaters,the vast majority of Disney’s previous live-action remakes also hit their estimated break-even points. The only other remakes that likely did not turn a profit in theaters were 2019’sDumbo, which fell far short of its estimated $425 million break-even point with a worldwide gross of $353.3 million, and Rob Marshall’s 2023The Little Mermaid, which fell slightly below its estimated $600.5 million break-even point by earning $569.6 million. Considering its narrow margin,Mermaidmay have made up for that discrepancy with VOD earnings.
Some Disney Live-Action Remakes Didn’t Make Any Money At The Box Office
Disney Has Produced Several Streaming Exclusives
On top of the four Disney movies that likely did not break even in theaters,there are a number of other live-action remakes that did not premiere in theaters in the first place. All of these titles debuted as streaming exclusives on Disney+. Their complete roster of Disney+ exclusives includes 2019’sLady and the Tramp, which starred Tessa Thompson and Justin Theroux, 2022’sPinocchio, which was directed byBack to the Future’s Robert Zemeckis, and2023’sPeter Pan & Wendy, which was helmed by David Lowery, who had previously directed the 2016 remake ofPete’s Dragonfor Disney.
Pete’s Dragondoes not technically count as a “live-action remake” because the original 1977 Disney movie blended animated elements with live-action footage.
Is Disney’s Live-Action Gamble Really Worth It?
Even Billion-Dollar Hits Might Not Justify Remaking More Movies
AlthoughSnow Whitehas not met the mark in theaters, quite a few Disney live-action remakes have become major successes. This could happen again, as their roster in the coming years includes theupcomingLilo & Stitch, which brings one of their most-merchandised characters to live-action for the first time, and 2026’sMoana, which follows the smash hitMoana 2into theaters by just two years. However, given the huge cost of many live-action remakes,the question remains as to whether Disney is making enough money on the subgenre as a whole.
Their combined box office totals reach roughly $8.008 billion…
The combined budgets of the theatrical remakes is a staggering $2.092 billion. Altogether, thisleaves that slate with an estimated combined break-even point of $5.23 billion. Because their box office totals reach roughly $8.008 billion altogether, that collectively gives them a multi-billion-dollar profit. However, the added pressures of the Disney+ titles' could shrink that margin considerably, especially if any future remakes perform at the level ofSnow White, which could potentially indicate that the best move for Disney may be to slow down while they are ahead, or at least severely reduce their budgets and thus their eliminate some risks.
