The Disney remake death knell
I visited Disney World for the first time the week that "Snow White" bombed.
The Gist
I visited Disney World for the first time this week, and was surprised at the lack of promotion for “Snow White.” Has Disney already moved on?
The movie is a reminder that Disney’s remakes do little to stimulate the Disney brand and they leave an almost nonexistent cultural footprint.
Plus: Amazon sacked its studio head this week, after a string of big-budget misfires.
I visited Disney World for the first time this past week.
I know, I know — at the ripe age of 30-plus, it felt long overdue. But I’m not going to write about my trip per se, except to say that it was bookended by the first and second weekends of Disney’s “Snow White” remake in theaters; it’s easy to forget that the rest of the world exists during a trip like this, but even Disney seemed to forget that its latest troubled movie existed.
During my visit, I saw zero promotion for the movie, save for a poster outside a literal movie theater in Disney Springs. I’m not sure if this is typical, but it struck me as odd that Disney wouldn’t be promoting its new tentpole the week of its release in its own theme parks. It seemed like the company has moved on as quickly as audiences.
“Snow White” dropped nearly 70% at the box office this weekend, topped by Jason Statham’s “A Working Man.” After a bright 2024 with three billion-dollar hits — “Deadpool and Wolverine,” “Inside Out 2, and “Moana 2” — 2025 is off to a rocky start. First there was “Captain America: Brave New World,” which is limping to $200 million domestically after six weeks; now it’s “Snow White,” which seems like it will struggle to even get to $100 million in the US.
Much has been said about the movie’s “controversies,” but bad press likely only soured people on a movie that already had an uphill climb. A big thing that stuck out to me during my Disney World trip is just how much of the Disney brand today is rooted in more recent IP (from the “renaissance” on), save for Mickey, obviously. Meanwhile, the original Snow White is nearly 90 years old. The new “Snow White” is probably the victim of 20% culture war, 80% disinterest.
But the visit also cemented something that was already abundantly clear: These remakes largely serve no purpose to stimulate Disney IP beyond the few that have made a lot of money (and the few others that have actually been decent). They do nothing for the Disney brand beyond maybe reminding people that the much better originals exist, which are now readily available with the click of a button. No kid was losing their mind at an emotionless CGI Simba. The remakes come and go, and are quickly forgotten like a bad Netflix movie.
Years ago, the Disney vault was the biggest marketing technique to re-introduce its animated classics. With Disney+, that’s a thing of the past, and now the best Disney can do is slap together a “live-action reimagining” every so often. “Snow White” isn’t the only one this year; this summer, the company will drop “Lilo and Stitch.” But let “Snow White” sound the much needed death knell for these movies.
Of course, this may seem premature by next year when the “Moana” remake is released, which could very well be another billion-dollar hit. But after its stay in theaters and likely a big moment on Disney+, kids and parents will return to the first animated movie again and again and never think about the remake.
I’ve written before about how, despite all of its box-office prowess, Disney has struggled to launch new IP in recent years, instead relying heavily on said remakes and sequels, which is how it succeeded so much last year. But “Snow White” is not only a reminder that its remake business has its limits, but also that the larger movie business will falter if it can’t introduce and sustain new franchises.
⚔️ Give up on the next GOT
Amazon sacked studio head Jen Salke this week after a string of big-budget misfires.
I’ve written at length about how Prime Video’s “Rings of Power” series is a disappointment, failing to rack up the kind of buzz and viewership one would expect after spending hundreds of millions of dollars on it. Data shows that it likely lost over half of its audience from season one to season two. Add to that other ultra-expensive flops like “Citadel” and a reported clash over how to handle James Bond, and it’s a recipe for turbulence.
But beyond the obvious, Salke’s exit is a reminder that media companies should stop trying to make the next “Game of Thrones.” Amazon bought its “Lord of the Rings” rights in 2017, amid the HBO show’s immense popularity. But in the six years since GOT ended, Hollywood learned all the wrong lessons. Has any fantasy series come close to “Game of Thrones’” level of success? They include another Amazon series, “Wheel of Time,” Netflix’s “Witcher” (which dropped in viewership after its first season), and so on.
Instead, the most popular shows that have filled the “Game of Thrones” absence have been the likes of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” and “Squid Game,” Amazon’s “Fallout,” and the Taylor Sheridan “Yellowstone” universe. They don’t fit into any specific genre.
As I said above, Hollywood needs new movie franchises. Rather than trying to find the next “Game of Thrones,” it might be wise to find the next Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings for the big screen. A “Court of Thorns and Roses” TV show is no longer moving forward at Hulu…good! Make it a movie; similarly, where is the “Fourth Wing” adaptation? These are popular book series that also have a massive female fandom, which has shown it’s willing to come out to the movies in droves for the likes of “Barbie,” “Wicked,” and more.
Oh, Amazon is developing a “Fourth Wing” TV series…okay.
Beyond the Traverse
🥃 Amazon solidified Amy Pascal and David Heyman, known for Spider-Man and Harry Potter movies, respectively, as its Bond producers.
🎬 WBD CEO David Zaslav is reportedly looking for replacements for the Warner Bros. studio chiefs.
Laughing that this is happening after “The Alto Knights” flopped, which Zaslav personally pushed for.
🦇 Ben Affleck says that a “misalignment of agendas” between WB and Zack Snyder led to an “excruciating experience” during his time as Batman. No kidding.
🐰 WB is set to demolish its Looney Tunes building after getting rid of the original series from Max.
My Disney visit got me thinking once again about the gold mine that is animation and how Hollywood should be investing more in animated IP…instead of whatever WB is doing.
Absolutely agree about giving up on producing the next GOT. We at T+S just were at an event from the Junos - “Stories from the Studio” which was musicians and music producers talking about their creative process. In commenting about how to make a hit, they said “don’t chase it”. You can’t try to sound like someone else. Remaining authentic and being the best version of yourself will create more of a hit than trying to repeat someone else’s success. On the grand scale, Amazon found that out when it tried to copy HBO. They do their best work when they do something original. They co-produced Fleabag, which was a cultural landmark. Invincible is one of the best animated shows out there. And let’s not forget The Boys and Gen V, which although might have gotten off the rails, has a very unique (and needed!) perspective on the superhero genre which is a great contrast to Disney/Marvel. More authenticity = better results!
I've been to Disneyland Paris a bunch of times and I don't think I've ever seen very big promotion for movies that were out at the time. Maybe it's not something they do much in the parks or maybe I just didn't notice. They do have the merch from the most recent movies usually in the stores but that's about it as far as I remember.