Disney is reportedly putting live-action remakes on hold.
This comes after the lukewarm reception for the Rachel Zegler-led “Snow White,” which has currently grossed $184,910,998 worldwide against its $200 million budget. The Disney classic remake also faced external backlash due to casting choices and Zegler’s public criticism of the original “Snow White” story.
That said, audience and critic opinion is split, with the film currently rated 39 percent for critics and 72 percent for audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Meanwhile, “Snow White” is also rated 50 on Metacritic, with users giving it a 1.2 out of 10 score.
The pause is also affecting Disney’s plans for a “Tangled” remake. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the live-action retelling of the 2010 hit was in development with Michael Gracey (“The Greatest Showman”) as the director, and Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (“Thor: Love and Thunder”) as the film’s scriptwriter.
However, the upcoming “Lilo & Stitch” (May 23, 2025) and “Moana” (July 10, 2026) titles are going ahead as planned. The “Lilo & Stitch” trailer is notably Disney’s second-highest viewed trailer for its live-action movies behind 2019’s “The Lion King.”
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A tale of diminishing returns
Unbeknownst to her outspoken detractors, Zegler’s social media antics and her (arguably) wrongful casting didn’t single-handedly halt Disney’s live-action streak.
Rather, “Snow White’s” box-office woes have only shown Disney one thing: that live-action mistakes are much more expensive than their animated counterparts.
Historically, production costs for Disney’s animated titles have generally hovered beneath the $200 million line, with the exception of “Wish” and “Tangled.” Meanwhile, their live-action counterparts have more commonly passed the $200 million mark with “The Lion King” ($260 million), “Beauty and the Beast” ($255 million), “Mufasa: The Lion King” ($200 million), “The Little Mermaid” ($240 million), “Mulan” ($200 million), and most recently “Snow White.”
And it’s not like these are bringing in more at the box office. So far, only four live-action titles have grossed past a billion dollars (“Aladdin,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Lion King,” and “Alice in Wonderland”). On the contrary, films such as “Zootopia,” “Frozen,” “Frozen 2,” “Incredibles 2,” “Inside Out 2,” “Toy Story 4,” “Toy Story 3,” “Finding Dory,” and “Moana 2” have all coasted past the $1 billion mark.
The fate of Disney’s live-action projects will likely rest on the performances of “Lilo & Stitch” and “Moana.” And should they disappoint, any hopes for a “Tangled” or “Frozen” live-action remake can only be left to the imagination.
