How much Disney's 'Snow White' needs to break even
What's the story
Disney's live-action remake of Snow White has long been making headlines but not for flattering reasons.
First, production was delayed due to the pandemic, then controversy erupted when lead actor Rachel Zegler criticized the 1937 animated classic.
The use of CGI dwarves, Zegler and co-star Gal Gadot's apparent opposing political ideologies further harmed the film's PR, and ultimately, it crashed at the box office.
Currently, it has barely crossed the $100 million mark. So, can it reach the break-even point?
Information
First things first, what is a break-even point?
In movie production, a break-even point is where the cost and revenue are roughly equal so that makers avoid loss. A movie usually breaks even when it has made about the same money as its production (as well as advertising) budget. However, the calculation differs depending on the destination of the shoot and the type of film industry.
Production expenses
Production cost of 'Snow White' emerged due its UK ties
While the budget of US-made movies is usually a closely-guarded secret, the UK studios have to file detailed financial statements.
Disney's Snow White subsidiary, Hidden Heart Productions, made the film in the UK.
According to Forbes, Hidden Heart disclosed that by July 31, 2022, production costs had hit a whopping $183.3 million, even before principal photography wrapped.
By December 31, 2023, costs had reached $269.4 million, prompting Disney to concede the film "was forecasted to be over the production budget."
Production cost
'Snow White' needs to gross $214M to break even, production-wise
The total cost of Snow White is expected to be $300 million, given that the film underwent reshoots and post-production work.
Now, Disney made some money for shooting the fairytale film in the UK (studios filming there get a reimbursement of up to 25.5% given they meet all conditions). This turned out to be $55.5 million, thus bringing Disney's net spend to $213.9 million.
That's the production cost to be recouped at the box office for Disney to break even.
Box office performance
Cost doubles when considering the theater cut
Disney's cut of the box office (from theaters) is usually 50%, which means Snow White has to make at least $427.8 million for the studio to recoup its costs.
However, so far, the film has only earned $100.2 million worldwide. This indicates that Disney is still far from breaking even on this production.
Notably, this calculation doesn't include the marketing cost or merchandise/collaborators' revenue.
Snow White is running in theaters worldwide.