Disney’s strategy of turning its classic animated films into big-budget live-action spectacles might be running out of magic. The latest example — the 2025 remake of Snow White — has stumbled at the box office, raising questions inside and outside the studio about whether it’s time to pump the brakes on this remake formula.
The Snow White remake, directed by Marc Webb and starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, was expected to be a major hit for Disney. Instead, it’s proving to be one of the studio’s biggest live-action flops in recent memory. With a reported production budget of $250 to $270 million and additional costs for marketing, the film needed to earn well over $600 million globally just to break even. As of its fifth weekend, it’s pulled in only about $183.4 million worldwide.
That’s not just underwhelming — it’s a financial red flag.
This isn’t the first time a Disney live-action remake has fallen short, but Snow White is a standout because of its sheer scale and the expectations that surrounded it. Unlike Mulan (2020), which was released amid pandemic-related theater closures, Snow White had the advantage of a full theatrical run and global availability. Yet, it’s still trailing far behind in earnings, making it only the second Disney remake to not recoup its budget in theaters.
A number of factors may have contributed to Snow White’s disappointing run. Controversy over the film’s creative direction, including reimagining the classic story’s dwarfs, political statements made by cast members, and its lukewarm reviews (39% on Rotten Tomatoes), have all likely played a role. Combined, they’ve created a perfect storm of negative buzz that likely hurt ticket sales.
Disney’s live-action remake boom started strong with Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland in 2010, which crossed the billion-dollar mark at the global box office. Hits like The Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King followed, all of which were billion-dollar earners. These successes cemented the live-action remake trend as a major part of Disney’s release strategy for over a decade.
But not every remake has turned into box office gold. Dumbo (2019) and The Little Mermaid (2023) came close but ultimately fell short of their estimated break-even points. Still, most entries in the remake roster — including Aladdin (2019), which made over $1 billion — have been solid financial wins.
In total, Disney’s live-action remakes have grossed over $8 billion at the global box office, compared to an estimated combined break-even cost of about $5.2 billion. That sounds profitable — and it is — but the margin narrows when you factor in the losses from streaming-exclusive titles like Pinocchio, Lady and the Tramp, and Peter Pan & Wendy, none of which brought in box office revenue and came with their own hefty production budgets.
Looking ahead, Disney still has remakes in the pipeline, including Lilo & Stitch and a live-action version of Moana scheduled for 2026. But after the Snow White fallout, there’s speculation that the studio may reconsider how aggressively it pursues these projects — or at least how much money it’s willing to pour into them.
The lesson from Snow White may be simple: nostalgia alone isn’t enough to guarantee box office success. Audience expectations have evolved, and the formula that worked a decade ago may now be in need of some serious rethinking.
If Disney wants to continue reimagining its classics, it may need to scale back the budgets, get more selective with titles, and focus on innovation rather than repetition. Otherwise, the magic might keep fading — one remake at a time.