Business Lessons I’ve learned from the Box Office Failure of Disney’s Snow White Remake (2025)
By Someone Who Loves Both a Good Movie and a Great ROI
Disney’s 2025 Snow White remake was one of the studio’s boldest bets—reportedly costing $270 million. This was supposed to be a reimagined fairy tale for a modern generation. But the opening week told a different story, pulling in just $46 million. For a brand like Disney, that’s not just disappointing—it’s a wake-up call.
I’ve been thinking a lot about what went wrong—and what we can learn from this high-profile flop? Here are three brutally honest but valuable lessons this so-called failure holds.
1. Be Bold, Be Different—But Don’t Be What No One Wants to Be
We can all appreciate that Disney took a bold step to diversify a classic character. They tried to innovate. They wanted to move away from the traditional image of Snow White – a character defined by her “skin as white as snow”—with a more diverse casting. That’s a bold move, and in today’s world, we respect the push for broader representation.
But at the same time, I couldn’t help but feel that something essential got lost in the update. Snow White was once the fairest of them all—not just in appearance, but in spirit and dream-like appeal. However, Disney didn’t replace her with someone the audience aspired to be or admired. The very essence of Snow White—her beauty, charm, and innocence—was stripped down, and what was left didn’t spark envy or admiration. And that is what matters the most in a story built on fantasy. People come to dream, not just reflect reality.Here’s what I’ve learned: In business, being bold is a must—but being bold and out of touch? That’s a recipe for disaster. It’s great to stand out, but standing apart from what people actually want, you’re just shouting into the void. If our story is unrelatable, if we create a product no one truly wants, we put our business at risk. We should evolve. But we also need to make sure the evolution is still something people feel drawn to.
2. Sell the Dream—Not the Struggle
A live-action remake isn’t just about visuals. It’s about storytelling, the dream you sell to your audience, the feeling you want them to walk away with – a sense of possibility, wonder, or inspiration.
So what dream was Disney trying to sell here? From what we saw, the remake seemed to tell us that even if you’re ordinary or come from a place of disadvantage, you can still live a magical life. It’s a beautiful and uplifting message.
However, I found myself asking: Who is this story really speaking to? Most people don’t want to see themselves as “ordinary” or “disadvantaged.” Not when they’re watching a fairytale, anyway. When they go to the movies, they want to feel exceptional. They want to live the hero, the beauty, the chosen one’s life.Did Disney actually forget that? People don’t just go to movies to see themselves—they go to see who they could be. Was it their intention to narrow the appeal to a very specific identity, and in doing that, they unintentionally excluded the mass audience? I’m not too sure but it’s a big reminder to me that in business, your product needs to speak to your core market—but still have universal appeal. Don’t sell struggle when people are looking to buy inspiration. And it’s important spark something in people that makes them say, “Yes, that’s who I want to be.”
3. Know your Audience
A fairytale disaster decades in the making is the romanticised misconception of love—thanks to all those prince-and-princess stories. But in this new remake, Disney is trying to rewrite that narrative.
In Snow White, she doesn’t fall for the prince—she falls for Jonathan, a bandit she meets while cleaning the palace. After saving him from freezing to death, she later joins his outlaw crew in the woods. Eventually, sparks fly when he takes an arrow for her.
The message? Snow White doesn’t need rescuing—she’s powerful on her own.
From a relationship perspective, I actually think that’s beautiful. Love should be built on connection, trust, and shared experience—not on idealised fantasies.
And yes, it is refreshing to move away from the old “waiting for a prince” trope. But let’s be real for a second—as a parent, do I want my daughter looking up to a story where the heroine falls for a criminal on the run? Probably not.
Here’s where things get complicated. In trying to flip the fairytale, Disney might’ve accidentally made some parents uncomfortable—the very people who actually decide what movies their kids watch. If the story feels off to them, they’re not buying tickets, no matter how powerful the intended message is.
Yes, Disney might be trying to show that love can come from unexpected places and that women don’t need rescuing—but that’s a message wrapped in layers. Young kids usually don’t catch those deeper meanings. What they do see is a princess falling for a guy who stole. And without the life experience to understand the full picture, it can send mixed signals.
The truth is, empowering themes don’t always land the way they’re meant to—especially when the audience is still figuring out right from wrong. So while the story might feel fresh and bold to adults, it can seem confusing or even troubling to kids (and their parents).
Bottom line? You can rewrite the story all you want, but if it clashes too hard with your core audience’s values, don’t be surprised if they walk away from the magic altogether.
Final Thoughts
The failure of Snow White (2025) wasn’t just about casting or outdated fairytales. It was a strategic misfire in understanding audience psychology, market desires, and emotional connection. Disney took risks, and risks are part of growth—but you’ve got to know your audience before you rewrite the rules.
In business, just like in movies, the question is always the same:
Who are you speaking to, and what dream are you helping them live?
If the answer is fuzzy, your audience will be, too.