Disney spent about $336.5 million on the live-action Snow White film released last year and it ultimately cost them $170 million.
Live-Action Show White Losses
A report by Caroline Reid with Forbes breaks down the cost of the film, which was plagued by controversies before and after its release, and was generally panned by critics. It’s worldwide box office total was $205.7 million, making it the fifth-lowest grossing of Disney’s 21 live-action remakes. Ranking below it are Mulan (2020), 102 Dalmatians (2000), Christopher Robin (2018), and the 1994 The Jungle Book. However, Mulan was released on Disney+ at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. And when adjusted for inflation, both 102 Dalmatians and Christopher Robin grossed higher.
When it comes to Disney’s spending on the film, Reid hunted through records of the film’s production in the U.K. There, studios get a reimbursement of up to 25.5% of what they spend if at least 10% of the core costs of the production relate to activities in the U.K. In order to show this, studios make a new Film Production Company for each film. The FPC’s financial statements, filed in stages across the film’s production and release, show the movie’s full cost.
It’s through the Snow White FPC, Hidden Heart Productions, that Reid was able to find the film’s $336.5 million price tag. This is more than the costs of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Guardians of the Galaxy, and the live-action Beauty and the Beast.
Note that costs differ from budget or net expenses. Budget is what Disney allocated for the film, and this was blown in part due to a fire that destroyed the Snow White set at Pinewood Studios early during production and then extensive reshoots. The net expenses are $271.6 million after the government’s $64.9 million reimbursement.
After movie theaters took their approximately 49% cut of earnings, Disney made just $102.9 million. Deducted from the net expenses, that makes a $168.7 million loss.
Of course, Disney does generate income from other avenues like home video sales and merchandise. But they also incur other costs like marketing expenses that aren’t shown in the FPC financial statements.
Disney was able to brush off their Snow White losses, however. Their next film was another live-action remake: Lilo & Stitch. It earned a whopping $1.038 billion. Later 2025 releases included Zootopia 2, now Disney’s highest-grossing animated film of all time with $1.803 billion, and Avatar: Fire and Ash, which has accumulated $1.44 billion.
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