Disney Shelves Tangled Remake After Snow White’s Box Office Disaster!

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The effects of Disney’s Snow White debacle are expanding, and it appears that Rapunzel’s project might be next in line. As per sources close to the company, Disney has put a hold on its live-action reboot of Tangled, seemingly storing the venture away only weeks after Snow White’s underwhelming box office results.

According to several reliable sources who spoke with The Hollywood Reporter, this decision indicates an increasing worry within the studio about the effectiveness of Disney’s approach that primarily involves remakes in theaters.

The film titled “Snow White” initially had an estimated budget of $210 million; however, additional expensive reshoots pushed the cost up to around $270 million. Despite this significant investment, the movie has only managed to earn $69 million in domestic sales and a total of $145 million worldwide. This underperformance represents a disastrous financial return for a film intended to rejuvenate one of Disney’s iconic fairy tale franchises. Even with international revenue, “Snow White” is projected to end up losing hundreds of millions.

Now, the movie “Tangled,” which was previously highly anticipated as a shining gem in Disney’s lineup of upcoming live-action adaptations, has been unexpectedly removed from its lofty position.

Tangled Up… and Tossed Aside

The real-life adaptation of “Tangled” had been an ongoing production, with Michael Gracey from “The Greatest Showman” slated to direct and a script written by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (known for “Thor: Love and Thunder” and “Do Revenge”). Gracey’s participation sparked excitement online, particularly among fans of the original’s musical elements. However, Disney seems to have temporarily halted the project following the underperformance of “Snow White.

Though the official statement from the studio is somewhat unclear, there’s a strong belief among many that it’s not just a creative hold-up, but rather a tactical withdrawal.

As a cinema enthusiast, it’s become evident to me that the live-action adaptation of “Snow White” has left some executives feeling uneasy. The studio is now taking a second look at which projects are worth investing in with a live-action spin. The poor performance at the box office, combined with the growing dissatisfaction towards the remakes’ tone and creative choices over the years, might be pushing Disney to reevaluate a strategy that seems to be losing its charm rapidly.

A Strategy Losing Its Magic

Starting from around 2010, Disney’s approach of making live-action adaptations has yielded both massive successes and expensive failures about equally. Blockbusters such as “Beauty and the Beast” ($1.26B), “Aladdin” ($1.05B), and “The Lion King” ($1.66B) have been financially lucrative. However, these were established properties with a wide audience appeal that spans across age groups and generations, and they retained a significant degree of nostalgia. The remakes largely followed the original stories closely.

Contrastingly, movies like Dumbo, Pete’s Dragon, Cruella, Pinocchio, The Little Mermaid, and now Snow White have faced challenges – in terms of creativity, finances, or a combination of both. In many instances, these struggles stemmed from significant deviations from the original stories, drastic narrative shifts, the infusion of contemporary social perspectives, or character reinterpretations that reflect diverse racial backgrounds.

Currently, it seems that the momentum behind Disney’s remake phase may be slowing down. With “Snow White” appearing to have failed upon its release and “Tangled” temporarily halted, one can’t help but wonder if Disney has exhausted their creative energy in this area.

What Comes Next?

Despite these changes, there are still two more live-action movies set for theater release within the following 15 months, and Disney has high expectations for both.

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Kicking things off is “Lilo & Stitch”, set for release on May 23rd. The studio has pulled out all the stops in promotion, with their Super Bowl ad showcasing Stitch invading the field that garnered an impressive 173 million views within a day. Remarkably, the trailer became Disney’s second-most-watched live-action trailer to date, hinting at potential success among both younger and nostalgic viewers. Additionally, it appears this adaptation is staying truer to the original content, a move that has historically resonated with audiences.

Moving forward, you’ll find the film “Moana” in cinemas on July 10, 2026. Disney is quite hopeful about this venture: the initial “Moana” has been a streaming powerhouse, accumulating 1.4 billion hours of viewing time on Disney+ – that’s equivalent to more than 735 million complete views of the movie. This momentum is further boosted by the upcoming animated sequel, “Moana 2”, which despite mixed reviews, proved to be a tremendous financial success last year with earnings exceeding $1 billion worldwide.

These two movies might represent Disney’s final chance to strengthen their reputation for live-action productions. Should either fail to meet expectations, the studio may need to significantly revise their approach to cinematic releases.

A New Regime, A New Direction?

The rearrangement of shelves in Tangled’s production also signifies a broader change in Disney’s management structure. Earlier this year, Daria Cercek took over as head of live-action theatrical films, reporting to David Greenbaum who succeeded Sean Bailey in his long-held position as live-action overseer. It is suggested that Greenbaum and Cercek lean towards being more cautious about costly revivals of past successes, potentially steering the division towards original productions or remakes with a stronger emphasis on character development.

A shift in approach might be the key factor to break Disney’s prolonged dependence on CGI-centric, intellectual property-driven remakes, which were once lucrative but seem to be losing their charm as demonstrated by films like “Snow White” and “The Little Mermaid”. It appears that audiences are no longer under their spell.

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2025-04-04 21:55