It’s safe to say the recent live-action remake of Snow White has been far from a box-office triumph. However, the lackluster returns have been a point of contention, with some pinning it down to the backlash from the story’s modernization, whilst others have blamed the actions of its cast. Rachel Zegler has faced a lot of heat following her defense of her casting, yet you cannot blame her for this box office bomb. In fact, we should have seen this coming as Disney has been on a downward trajectory with their live-action remakes. They haven’t had a huge hit since before the pandemic, and it seems audiences have become fatigued of these reimaginings.
‘Snow White’ Is Not the First Disney Box Office Failure
Disney has had some huge successes with their live-action movies, and at their height they were at the top of the box office ratings each year. The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin all made over a billion dollars. These adaptations showed desire from audiences; they couldn’t wait to visit the cinema to see these clever and magical reimaginings of the classics they loved. However, with each new release, the numbers have declined for these remakes. Franchise fatigue meant audiences were no longer drawn to these movies, the first evidence coming from Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, which made just under half a million. However, this dip could be put down to the fact the movie is a sequel, and it faced competition for being released in the same year as The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast.
However, consequent flops for Cruella, a retelling of one of Disney’s most iconic villains, and The Little Mermaid, which on paper should’ve been an instant hit as it is a beloved classic, were cause for concern. Cruella was in safe hands with Emma Stone playing the titular role but was faced with the lingering effects of the pandemic. However, The Little Mermaid faced similar issues to Snow White, with backlash surrounding the casting of Halle Bailey and poor reviews. Yet, it was the underwhelming performance of Mufasa: The Lion King that proved this downward curve. Despite making over $700 million worldwide, the return was nowhere near the previous heights of live-action movies and indicated audiences don’t want remakes or prequels.
This may suggest a cry for truly original content from Disney, which it attempted with its recent movie, albeit inspired by iconic rides at Disney Parks. Haunted Mansion and Jungle Cruise both attempted to tug on people’s love for Disney, but the response was even worse, with neither passing a quarter of a million at the global box office. It evidences that Snow White’s perceived flop is merely a symptom of an already downward trajectory.
What Do Audiences Want From Disney?
Disney has not been without its success recently. In fact, in 2024, it had two movies in the Top 5 both domestically and globally, with Moana 2 and Inside Out 2. Their success suggests audiences are craving recognizable characters in new settings, rather than reimagined stories they know well. This is particularly valuable when looking at the success of original animated features, with Elemental, Wish and Encanto all under-performing (although the latter has gained a significant amount of traction on streaming and is now undeniably a huge piece of IP for Disney). The problem may not be with Disney, but instead be a result of streaming, with these movies taking an average of 100 days to make it to Disney+. With the increasing prices of movie tickets, and the lengthy ads putting people off visiting, perhaps people are happy to wait until they can watch these new live-action remakes at home.
The true litmus test for these adaptations won’t be Lilo & Stitch this summer, although its box office will be an interesting addition to this dialogue. Instead, it will be the upcoming live-action remake of Moana set for release in 2026. Moana has already proven itself as a behemoth of a franchise for Disney with the success of Moana 2, so it has the potential to be a giant victory at the box office. With such an obvious current franchise, and being a much more recent story that won’t require modernization, if Moana follows the downward trend of box office numbers, it will prove the issue of these flops is bigger than each individual movie.
