Disney’s ‘Snow White’ Flop Cost Studio a Jaw-Dropping Fortune Report Reveals

Disney’s live-action Snow White remake has been revealed to have cost the studio a staggering $336.5 million, according to recently filed financial statements from its UK production company, Hidden Heart Productions, reported by Forbes and analyzed by industry insiders. The numbers confirm that the film massively overshot its budget and turned into one of Disney’s most expensive flops in recent years.

The film starred Rachel Zegler as Snow White and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen. From the start, the project stirred controversy. Zegler publicly criticized the original 1937 animated classic, calling Prince Charming a “stalker” and labeling the story as “extremely dated when it comes to the ideas of women being in roles of power.”

Her remarks angered critics and industry veterans alike, including David Hand, whose father worked on the original. He said the filmmakers “would be turning in their graves” and claimed the new version was made “with good taste.”

The backlash intensified when the CGI dwarfs were revealed in the first trailer. Critics called them “creepy” compared to the charming characters from the cartoon. The trailer quickly became one of the most disliked videos on YouTube, gathering over a million thumbs-down reactions. Zegler further drew attention when she posted “always remember, free Palestine” on social media, a comment that producer Marc Platt reportedly tried to get her to remove. She refused, and the post remains online.

Box office numbers reflected the controversy. Snow White earned $87.3 million worldwide in its opening weekend, falling 13% below forecasts. Its total earnings reached just $205.7 million, making it one of the lowest-grossing live-action Disney adaptations of the last 30 years. Only films like Mulan, 102 Dalmatians, Christopher Robin, and the 1994 Jungle Book performed worse, and many of those were affected by inflation or global events like the pandemic.

The high production cost was partly offset by the UK government’s Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit, which reimbursed $64.9 million, bringing Disney’s net spend to $271.6 million. But even with this, the film likely lost over $168 million at the box office, based on the average 50-50 revenue split between theaters and studios. A Disney spokesperson noted that other revenue streams such as home entertainment and merchandising could offset losses, but marketing costs, which aren’t included in the filings, make overall profit unlikely.

Industry analyst Valliant Renegade predicted in 2023 that the movie would cost $300 million, an estimate that closely matched the final figures. Production challenges, including a fire on the Pinewood Studios set and extensive reshoots, contributed to the overspend.

Despite this setback, Disney is still confident in live-action remakes. Their next project, Lilo & Stitch, earned $1 billion at the box office, wiping out Snow White’s losses and proving that the genre can still be highly profitable.

Snow White remake shows that even a huge studio like Disney can miscalculate public interest, star controversies, and CGI reception. It’s a reminder that massive budgets don’t guarantee success. Do you think Disney will recover from this flop, or are live-action remakes starting to lose their magic? Share your thoughts in the comments.