The failure ofSnow Whitemay dramatically change how Disney approaches future live-action remakes. Even though it is based on the 1937 animated filmSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which is one of the most iconic Disney movies ever,reviews forSnow Whitehave been quite poor. Screen Rant’s own Rachel Labonte gave the live-action adaptation an underwhelming score of 5 out of 10, noting that the CGI dwarfs make the film feel artifical and stressing thatSnow White’sendingis very anticlimactic. Currently,Snow Whitealso has a disappointing score of 40% on Rotten Tomatoes (viaRotten Tomatoes).
In addition to its poor reviews,Snow Whitehas also been a box office flop. The film has only made $169 million at the box office (viaBox Office Mojo), and it doesn’t seem like it will make much more since it has already lost a lot of momentum. SinceSnow White’sbudgetwas reportedly $240 million, it seems like Disney is going to lose a lot of money on the movie. Because of the critical and commercial performance ofSnow White,it seems like Disney may reconsider how they approach future live-action remakes of its iconic movies.
Snow White’s Box Office Has Caused Disney To Halt A Tangled Live-Action Remake
Snow White’s Box Office Has Already Affected Another Upcoming Disney Movie
Not long after the release ofSnow White, Disneypaused production on theTangledlive-action adaptation. This seems like a response toSnow White’sdisappointing box office performance, which will likely lose the company hundreds of millions of dollars.TheTangledlive-action film was a planned remake of the critically acclaimed 2010 animated movie, which has an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes (viaRotten Tomatoes). The story of the animatedTangledmovie follows the princess Repunzel, who is locked in a tower by the evil Mother Gothel before being rescued by the dashing prince Flynn Rider.
Snow White’s Box Office Is Even More Shocking 13 Years After $396 Million Hit
Disney’s live-action remake of Snow White has underperformed at the box office, but the similar Snow White and the Huntsman was a bona fide hit.
While no official casting announcements were made for the live-actionTangledfilm, it was set to be directed by Michael Gracey, who helmed 2017’sThe Greatest Showmanand the critically acclaimed 2024 Robbie Williams biopicBetter Man. While theupcoming live-actionTangledmoviehasn’t been officially canceled, it is currently unclear when production will resume. More than likely,Disney executives are still figuring out how to proceed after the major box office flop ofSnow White.
Several Recent Live-Action Remakes Have Been Box Office Disapointments
Given the box office performances of recent Disney movies, it is clear that audiences are losing interest in the company’s live-action remakes. In recent years, Disney has adapted classic and more recent animated movies into live-action films, and while some of them have found success, others have not been the box office juggernauts that the company was hoping for. For example,while 2023’sThe Little Mermaidmade $569 million at the worldwide box office, its massive $240 million budget means that Disney did not make that much money from the film.
It is clear that Disney is not making as much money with its live-action remakes as it once was at the box office.
Additionally, 2019’sDumboonly made $353 million on a budget of $170 million.The Little MermaidandDumboare just two examples of live-action Disney remakes that underperformedat the box office. It makes sense that Disney was willing to spend so much money on these two films, since they are both based on such popular animated movies, but the company did not make nearly as much money as it was hoping to on either project.
This is not to say that all of Disney’s recent live-action films have been failures. In fact, after getting a slow start at the box office, 2024’sMufasa: The Lion Kingrecovered and ended up making an impressive $721 million. Therefore, upcoming live-action Disney remakes are not guaranteed to be failures. However, it is clear that Disney is not making as much money with its live-action remakes as it once was at the box office. Furthermore,the majority of Disney’s recent live-action movies have been critical failures and have “Rotten” scores on Rotten Tomatoes.
Disney Has More Live-Action Remakes Coming
Lilo & Stitch & Moana Live-Action Movies Have Release Dates
Even though the live-actionTangledremake was unfortunately a victim ofSnow White’spoor box office performance, Disney still has several upcoming live-action remakes. Most notably,Lilo & Stichwill hit theaters on July 23, 2025 and the live-actionMoanafilm is currently set for a July 27, 2025 release date. Since both of these movies have already gone through production and have had release dates announced for a while, it is unlikely that Disney will delay them.
Disney’s Next 2 Live-Action Remakes Are Way More Important After Snow White
Snow White did not meet box office or RT expectations, and with Disney’s recent actions, the next two live-action remakes become more important.
In addition to these two projects,several other Disney live-action remakes are still in development, such asHercules,Robin Hood,The Aristocrats, andBambi. While development on the live-actionTangledfilm was halted, these four projects are all seemingly still moving forward. Hopefully these projects can continue as planned and don’t experience delays, but time will tell whether Disney plans to adjust its strategy with its upcoming live-action remakes. In a best-case scenario for Disney, bothLilo & Stitchand the live-actionMoanawill be successful and get the company back on the right track.
Disney Should Pause Making Live-Action Remakes Entirely After Snow White
Disney Needs To Avoid More Critical & Commercial Failures
Luckily for Disney, I thinkLilo & Stitchand the live-actionMoanamovie will make a lot of money at the box office. Based on the film’s trailers,Lilo & Stitchseems like it will be a very fun and entertaining movie for the whole family. Additionally, both the animatedMoanamovies made a lot of money at the box office. Therefore, these two films should be guaranteed box office successes for Disney. However,even if these two projects are commercially successful, it may still be best for Disney to take some time to adjust their live-action remake strategy.
Snow Whiteis the most recent of many critically pannedlive-action Disney remakes. In addition toSnow White, 2020’sMulan, 2022’sPinnochio, and the aforementionedDumbowere all very underwhelming live-action Disney films. Overall,many of Disney’s recent live-action remakes haven’t done justice to the iconic animated films they are based on. Since Disney’s animated movies are beloved by fans all over the world, I think it is best for the company to potentially pause production on its upcoming projects and change their approach after the failure ofSnow White.
