On Youtube, I was watching responses to the trailer for Disney’s live-action Snow White movie coming out next year. It’s not doing well.
The animated version, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs opened in 1937, and made $66,600,000 in ticket sales. In 2024 money, that is about $1.5 billion. In re-releases and video sales, made even more. The original movie cost $1.6 million to make. In it’s opening run, it brought in 40 times more than it cost to produce.
The live-action movie, Snow White, is estimated to have cost $350 million to produce so far. With marketing, the ticket sales have to be over a billion dollars to break even. Not a good bet.
Disney has made some unfortunate creative decisions regarding the live-action movie. One mistake is choosing the lead actress, Rachel Zegler. She can’t stop offending people.
Rachel Zegler made a name for herself in her first movie, West Side Story. That is also a remake, so can be compared to the prior version.
West Side Story opened in 1961, starred Natalie Wood and won 10 Academy Awards. It cost $6 million to make, with ticket sales of $44 million. So, 7 times more in ticket sales than it took to produce. In 2021 money, that is $450 million.
West Side Story opened in 2021, starred Rachel Zegler and won an Academy Award for best supporting actress, not for Zegler. It cost $100 million to produce, with ticket sales of $38.5 million.
The original West Side Story made more in ticket sales in 1961 dollars, when gas cost 31 cents per gallon, than the 2021 version.
Disney decided the actress who didn’t win an Oscar from a remake that was a huge flop, was the right person to star in the live-action remake of the movie that established the Disney company. And, Disney forgot to tell the 22 year-old to stop pissing people off.
It’s like Disney is actively trying to destroy itself.