Disney’s Snow White Stumbles at the Box Office: Is the Era of Big-Budget Remakes Coming to an End?

Once hailed as surefire hits, Disney’s live-action reimaginings are starting to show cracks in the magic mirror. The studio’s latest attempt, Snow White (2025), opened to just $43 million domestically and $87.3 million globally, despite a staggering $270 million production budget. Even with the star power of Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, and the familiar appeal of a classic fairy tale, the film failed to charm audiences over its opening weekend—raising critical questions about Disney’s strategy moving forward.

A Costly Disappointment

The numbers tell a sobering story. After years of success with films like The Jungle Book and Beauty and the Beast, Disney now finds itself struggling to replicate the same magic. Snow White’s muted reception mirrors the recent underperformance of other live-action efforts (Peter Pan & Wendy, The Little Mermaid)—and suggests a growing fatigue with these high-gloss remakes.

The film’s $270M budget, reportedly inflated by pandemic-related production delays and extensive CGI work, makes its soft launch even more troubling. With a B+ CinemaScore and no signs of strong international momentum, the film is unlikely to break even through theatrical revenue alone.

What Went Wrong?

Several factors likely contributed to Snow White’s poor showing:

• Audience fatigue: Viewers may be growing tired of near-shot-for-shot retellings with little new to say.

• Changing tastes: As the recent Global Cinema Foundation study revealed, audiences are craving comedies, thrillers, and fresh action—not legacy content.

• Mixed marketing: Snow White’s trailers focused heavily on visual spectacle but offered little insight into tone, stakes, or innovation—missing the emotional connection Disney once mastered.

A New Direction for Disney?

With Snow White joining a string of underwhelming performers, Disney may be forced to reconsider its live-action pipeline. While nostalgic IP remains valuable, the studio may need to shift toward original storytelling, lower budgets, or even genre experimentation to regain its box office footing.

Meanwhile, studios like A24 and Neon are finding critical and financial success by betting on smaller, bolder films with distinct voices. The contrast is sharp—and growing sharper with each $200M flop.

Looking Ahead

As the 2025 box office continues its rocky trend—also marked by Mickey 17’s underperformance and The Alto Knights’ flop—Disney will look to its summer slate, including Inside Out 2 and Moana 2, to regain momentum. But one thing’s clear: the era of live-action fairy tales as guaranteed gold is over.

For more industry analysis and coverage of the evolving film landscape, check out Peppermint Films’ blog page or explore our recent article on why audiences are demanding better theatrical content.