The 2023 Live-Action Remake of The Little Mermaid was a massive disappointment for Disney. Not only did the film not bring in the over $1 Billion they were hoping for but they also potentially lost money on the project. The film revived massive backlash upon its initial reveal and the first teaser trailer became the most downvoted Hollywood film trailer of all time.
Now, in a recent report via Forbes, it seems that Disney had sunk in more money than what was originally reported. Originally, the film was given an estimated $250 Million – $265 Million via Variety, thus meaning it would have needed to cross about $625 Million to break even after marketing costs and theater cuts. But since the film only made $569.6 Million worldwide, they would have lost around $55 Million. Now it appears that the film’s budget ballooned to over $300 Million.
The report came via Caroline Reed from Forbes, who discovered in a financial statement with the U.K. Government discovered the high cost. The film itself was technically made under Disney’s Sand Castle Pictures in the U.K., as they can receive tax exemptions from the U.K. government for local productions.
The report stated that the budget spent on the film by August of 2022 had accumulated to $297 Million, and this does not count any further developments or post-production work that may have taken place until its premiere eight months later, so the budget may have gone even further beyond $300 Million.
With this new information, it is believed that Disney would have needed to hit at least $742.5 Million to break even, equating to a loss of over $120 Million for the company. This shows a trend of companies like Disney overspending on films and never really seeing a return on the film, even if it was seen as “successful.” We can only imagine how much Disney might lose on the upcoming Snow White remake with its continued rising costs.
What do you think? Did Disney sink too much money into this film?
Sources: Forbes, Bounding Into Comics
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