After years of controversy and lukewarm box office performance, The Walt Disney Company’s 2025 live-action Snow White remake has reportedly resulted in an estimated $170 million loss.
Forbes reported Tuesday that newly filed financial documents show the film carried a production cost of $336.5 million, ultimately delivering disappointing returns following a prolonged period of public scrutiny and debate.
According to the outlet, the figures became public because the movie was filmed in the United Kingdom, where productions can qualify for substantial tax reimbursements but must comply with strict disclosure requirements. To meet those rules, Disney created a U.K.-based subsidiary, Hidden Heart Productions, to handle the shoot. As a result, detailed spending records — which are typically kept private for U.S.-produced films — were made available through local filings.
“In 2023 this author revealed in Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper that by July 31, 2022 Disney had already spent a staggering $183.3 million on making Snow White even though principal photography had only just wrapped,” contributor Caroline Reid wrote. “The latest set of filings are for the year to December 31, 2024 which was less than three months before the movie debuted so should give an almost-complete picture of its costs.”
The Walt Disney Company’s 2025 live-action Snow White remake has reportedly posted a $170 million loss.
The writer further noted that the film’s $336.5 million production budget exceeded the costs of several major Disney blockbusters, including Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Guardians of the Galaxy, and the live-action Beauty and the Beast, which went on to generate an impressive $1.3 billion worldwide in 2017.
Although the United Kingdom provided a sizable tax reimbursement tied to local filming incentives, the report argued that the subsidy was ultimately insufficient to offset the film’s substantial production and overall costs.
Gal Gadot stars as the Evil Queen opposite Rachel Zegler in the live-action adaptation.
According to Forbes contributor Caroline Reid, “The U.K. government also gave Snow White a magic touch as it reimbursed $64.9 million (£52.3 million) of the movie’s costs. This brought its net expenses down to $271.6 million but even that wasn’t enough to give it a happy ending in theaters.”
Reid added that distribution economics further complicated the financial picture. The share of ticket sales that studios receive — commonly referred to in the industry as a rental fee — typically amounts to about half of total box office revenue. Citing research by film industry consultant Stephen Follows, who surveyed more than 1,200 film professionals in 2014, Reid noted that theaters retain an average of 49% of ticket sales.
Applying the widely cited 50-50 revenue split, Disney would have received roughly $102.9 million from the film’s box office run. After subtracting the reported $271.6 million in net production costs, that would translate to an estimated $168.7 million loss from theatrical performance alone.
OutKick described the result as “one of the biggest box office bombs in the history of the movie business, in pure dollar value terms.”
“One of the biggest box office bombs in the history of the movie business, in pure dollar value terms,” OutKick wrote in its assessment of the film’s performance.
Beyond its financial struggles, the remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has also faced a series of cultural controversies.
In 2022, actor Peter Dinklage criticized Disney for revisiting what he described as a “backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together,” while simultaneously promoting progressive casting choices, including lead actress Rachel Zegler.
Following the backlash, Disney reportedly adjusted its creative approach. Early reports in 2023 indicated the studio would replace the traditional dwarfs with a diverse group of “magical creatures.” That concept was later abandoned in favor of computer-animated dwarfs designed to more closely resemble the characters from the original 1937 classic.
Zegler also drew criticism for public comments about the original animated film, as well as social media posts expressing strong political views, including criticism of Israel and former President Donald Trump and his supporters.
