Walt Disney Pictures has reportedly paused development on an upcoming live-action remake of the 2010 animated film “Tangled” after its live-action “Snow White” film failed to wow at the box office.
The news was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter, citing “studio insiders” who spoke with the outlet. Sources for Deadline and Variety made the same claims.
A representative for Walt Disney Studios was not immediately available to comment on the reports.
The 2010 “Tangled” film was one of Disney’s highest-grossing animated films of all time, with a worldwide gross of nearly $600 million, according to Box Office Mojo. Development of a live-action remake was announced last year, with Michael Gracy (“The Greatest Showman,” “Better Man”) set to direct and Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (“Do Revenge,” “Thor: Love and Thunder”) writing the script, Deadline reported in late 2024.
News of Disney putting the live-action “Tangled” remake on hold also comes amid less-than-expected interest for the 2025 live-action “Snow White” adaptation, starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot. The film, released in the U.S. on March 21, was estimated to cost $250 million to produce. On its opening weekend, “Snow White” earned about $43 million in ticket sales domestically (and an additional $44.3 million overseas) despite the studio expecting significantly more, the Associated Press reported. (The film’s worldwide gross as of April 4 was estimated to be $146 million by Box Office Mojo.)
The lead-up to the film’s release was also plagued by controversies over the film’s handling of the dwarfs, who are rendered in CGI, and backlashes over comments by Zegler. The PR headaches prompted Disney to pull back on its premiere.
There’s been a wide variance between the box-office performance of other “live-action” Disney remakes, but “Snow White” might mark a new nadir. Jon Favreau’s photorealistic “The Lion King” (2019) didn’t have great reviews, either, but grossed more than $1.6 billion worldwide. “Snow White” opened worse than “Dumbo” (a $46 million opening in 2019) and well shy of “Cinderella” territory ($67.9 million in 2015).
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
