OAN Staff Sophia Flores
6:02 PM – Thursday, February 12, 2026
Almost a year after Disney’s 2025 live-action remake of “Snow White” was released, final accounting has revealed that the progressive film “went over its initial production budget,” with costs for filming reaching $336.5 million.
While U.S. studios do not typically disclose detailed spending or earnings for individual films, the British government offers a major tax incentive for productions filmed in the United Kingdom (UK), where “Snow White” was shot.
After accounting for the $64.9 million reimbursement from the UK, the film’s net production cost was $271.6 million, according to Forbes.
Based on typical box office revenue splits — in which theaters keep about 49% to 50% of ticket sales — Disney’s share of the film’s earnings is estimated at $102.9 million, resulting in an approximate $168.7-170 million loss, according to new financial data from Disney’s UK subsidiary Hidden Heart Productions.
This also excludes marketing and advertising costs, making the live-action remake of the classic 1937 film one of the biggest film financing disasters in Hollywood history, analysts say.
Controversary surrounded the film even before its release, largely due to politically fueled comments made by the film’s lead actress. In November 2024, actress Rachel Zegler, 24, publicly condemned President Donald Trump and emphasized that she hopes Trump supporters “never know peace.”
In early interviews before filming began, Zegler had also criticized the original 1937 “Snow White” hand-drawn animated film, referring to the original movie’s prince as “a guy who literally stalks her,” while further suggesting that Prince Charming be removed from the remake.
“I just mean that it’s no longer 1937,” Zegler said. “We absolutely wrote a ‘Snow White’ that . . . she’s not going to be saved by the prince, and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love; she’s going to be dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be.”
During production, Zegler also sparked backlash online after concluding one of her X posts with the phrase “and always remember, free Palestine.”
The comment reportedly fueled reported tensions between Zegler and her Israeli co-star, actress Gal Gadot, whose strong public support for Israel stood in stark contrast to Zegler’s advocacy for “Palestine.”
Sources also described the pair as having “nothing in common,” with their differing political views exacerbating underlying strains. As a result, the two largely promoted the film separately during the press tour, with few joint appearances beyond the main premiere and a brief Oscars presentation — prompting widespread speculation about a rift.
Observers and commentators have suggested that these political divisions — combined with calls for boycotts from both pro-Israel groups, Trump supporters outraged by Zegler’s post and pro-Palestine activists targeting Gadot’s IDF background — may have contributed to a divided audience sentiment and affected the film’s reception and box-office performance.
The film’s ballooning budget was also driven by extensive reshoots.
Originally, the movie was shot without the traditional seven dwarfs, instead featuring a group of seven diverse bandits, who served as “companions” in a reimagined storyline.
After significant public backlash, particularly over casting and the decision to sideline little people actors, Disney pivoted in post-production.
The bandits remained as separate characters, but the classic dwarfs were added back in as CGI versions, requiring major additional filming and visual effects work to integrate them. This change contributed heavily to the project’s soaring costs.
Additionally, after the film tested poorly with early audiences, Disney added more songs and reshot screens to strengthen the love story, further upping production costs.
While Disney’s “Snow White” is one of the biggest disasters in raw dollar value, “The Lone Ranger” (2013) and “John Carter” (2012) generally still hold the crown for the highest unadjusted losses.
However, “Snow White” is unique since it is one of the few “guaranteed” Disney Princess IPs to ever lose money on this scale.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news alerts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
What do YOU think? Click here to jump to the comments!
Sponsored Content Below
