Disney’s Massive ‘Snow White’ Remake Budget Revealed

The upcoming Snow White remake from Disney is facing an uphill battle as its reported budget suggests it will need to do massive numbers to turn a profit. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is a groundbreaking achievement in animation and, as Disney’s first fully released theatrical animated movie, is one of the studio’s biggest legacy titles. After remaking several other animated classics, Snow White is finally set for the live-action remake treatment with Rachel Zegler (West Side Story) as the titular princess and Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman) as the Evil Queen.

Variety reports that Disney’s upcoming Snow White remake has a reported budget of $240 million. This is seemingly on par with how much Disney spent on 2023’s The Little Mermaid and less than what 2019’s The Lion King cost, as it reportedly had a budget of $250 to $260 million. Snow White‘s budget is well above what Disney spent on Aladdin ($185 million), Dumbo ($170 million), and Mulan ($200 million). It is unclear if the $240 million for Snow White includes marketing expenses, but if not, that will be an additional cost for the movie.

There are several reasons why Snow White has such a massive budget. There was a huge fire that destroyed part of the set, which added a small cost to the budget. The movie was initially set to be released in 2024 but was delayed until March 2025, and reshoots took place in July 2024. Snow White’s $240 million budget is on par with a lot of big blockbusters and speaks to an ongoing rise in costs for commercial films. Even with Snow White costing $240 million, it still wouldn’t make the list of the most expensive movies of all time.

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Snow White had already endured a great deal of controversy before anyone saw a frame of footage. Much of the backlash was targeted at star Rachel Zegler, as many took the actor’s comments about the original film and Disneyland ride out of context to make it seem like she was trashing the original film. Many also made racist comments about casting an actress of Columbian descent as Snow White, similar to the racist criticisms thrown at The Little Mermaid star Halle Bailey. While some might be tired of Disney’s live-action remakes, it is hard to ignore that films Snow White and The Little Mermaid have attracted far more vocal backlash and negative responses than Mufasa: The Lion King, or the upcoming Lilo & Stitch.

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Those controversies will certainly color the general discussion around the film, providing a hurdle the movie will need to overcome if it wants to succeed at the box office. There is a good chance Snow White will easily clear the box office of 2012’s Snow White reimagining Mirror Mirror, which grossed $64 million domestically and $183 million worldwide. The question is how it will stack up against Snow White and the Huntsman, which grossed $155 million domestically and $396 million worldwide. One advantage Snow White might have is that it is opening in the spring, as some schools are letting out for spring break. It does face some big competition in the family movie market as Minecraft opens two weeks later, but that film has also attracted negative reactions from fans, so it is anyone’s game.