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’s Snow 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’s Pinocchio and 1942’s Dumbo) and the Disney Renaissance (which includes 1989’s The Little Mermaid and 1991’s Beauty 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’s Alice 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’s Beauty and the Beast and 2019’s Aladdin and The Lion King. However, 2025’s Snow White, which was directed by Marc Webb and stars Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, has fallen 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, the Snow White budget, 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.

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 ample Snow White backlash, 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 White is one of just two of Disney’s direct live-action remakes to not have made its budget back in theaters. The other installment not to hit that mark was 2020’s Mulan, 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 totals of every Disney live-action remake that was released in theaters and isn’t a reimagining (like Maleficent), a sequel (like Alice Through the Looking Glᴀss), or a prequel (like Mufasa: The Lion King):

In addition to every movie but Snow White and Mulan making 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’s Dumbo, which fell far short of its estimated $425 million break-even point with a worldwide gross of $353.3 million, and Rob Marshall’s 2023 The Little Mermaid, which fell slightly below its estimated $600.5 million break-even point by earning $569.6 million. Considering its narrow margin, Mermaid may 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 тιтles debuted as streaming exclusives on Disney+. Their complete roster of Disney+ exclusives includes 2019’s Lady and the Tramp, which starred Tessa Thompson and Justin Theroux, 2022’s Pinocchio, which was directed by Back to the Future‘s Robert Zemeckis, and 2023’s Peter Pan & Wendy, which was helmed by David Lowery, who had previously directed the 2016 remake of Pete’s Dragon for Disney.

Because the finances of streaming services are more opaque than theaters, there is little data suggesting how much subscriber revenue any of those three Disney+ remakes earned for Walt Disney Studios. However, it seems relatively unlikely that their streaming performance could have made up for their substantial budgets. While the budget of Peter Pan & Wendy has not yet been reported, Lady and the Tramp cost $60 million while Pinocchio cost $150 million. Even without having to earn back more than double their budgets (due to not playing in theaters), this combined total provides the movies with a daunting challenge.

Is Disney’s Live-Action Gamble Really Worth It?

Even Billion-Dollar Hits Might Not Justify Remaking More Movies

Although Snow White has 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 the upcoming Lilo & Sтιтch, which brings one of their most-merchandised characters to live-action for the first time, and 2026’s Moana, which follows the smash hit Moana 2 into 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.

The combined budgets of the theatrical remakes is a staggering $2.092 billion. Altogether, this leaves 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+ тιтles’ could shrink that margin considerably, especially if any future remakes perform at the level of Snow 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.