by 
Updated on December 10, 2021
There’s been a lot of grumbling about the large number of live-action remakes of classic Disney animated films we’ve been getting. Despite this, it’s clear they’re making the Mouse House a ton of cash… in some cases, even more money than the original films earned. Thus, the films will keep on coming, regardless of mixed reviews.
But how much have Disney’s live-action (or CGI-to-the-point-it-resembles-live-action) remakes made versus the original films?
Box office for the Disney remakes versus the original films
Information below is taken from Box Office Mojo as of June 9, 2019. Unless otherwise indicated, all box office figures are global, not adjusted for inflation, and include re-releases.
| Film | Remake’s box office | Original’s box office |
| Beauty and the Beast (2017) | $1.2635 billion | $425 million |
| Alice in Wonderland (2010) | $1.0255 billion | N/A |
| The Jungle Book (2016) | $966.6 million | $205.8 million |
| Maleficent (2014) | $758.5 million | N/A |
| Aladdin (2019) | $604.9 million | $504.1 million |
| Cinderella (2015) | $543.5 million | N/A |
| Dumbo (2019) | $350.4 million | N/A |
| 101 Dalmatians (1996) | $320.7 million | $215.9 million |
| Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016) | $299.5 million | N/A |
| Pete’s Dragon (2016) | $143.7 million | N/A |
Domestic totals (adjusted for inflation)
Here’s the domestic totals for the above films, adjusted for inflation.
| Film | Remake’s box office | Original’s box office |
|---|---|---|
| Beauty and the Beast (2017) | $511.8 million | $408.7 million |
| Alice in Wonderland (2010) | $379.3 million | N/A |
| The Jungle Book (2016) | $375.8 million | $663.9 million |
| Maleficent (2014) | $262.7 million | $654.8 million (“Sleeping Beauty”) |
| Aladdin (2019) | $232.4 million | $472.5 million |
| Cinderella (2015) | $219 million | $543.3 million |
| Dumbo (2019) | $113.8 million | N/A |
| 101 Dalmatians (1996) | $274.3 million | $900.3 million |
| Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016) | $79.6 million | N/A |
| Pete’s Dragon (2016) | $80.7 million | N/A |
Reviews
Quality-wise, here’s how the Disney remakes rate versus the originals, according to Metacritic:
| Film | Remake | Original |
| Beauty and the Beast (2017) | 65 | 95 |
| Alice in Wonderland (2010) | 53 | 68 |
| The Jungle Book (2016) | 77 | 65 |
| Maleficent (2014) | 56 | 85 |
| Aladdin (2019) | 53 | 86 |
| Cinderella (2015) | 67 | 85 |
| Dumbo (2019) | 51 | 96 |
| 101 Dalmatians (1996) | 49 | 83 |
| Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016) | 34 | N/A |
| Pete’s Dragon (2016) | 46 | 71 |
Comments
Even adjusting for inflation on a domestic basis, 2017’s “Beauty and the Beast” made way more at the box office than the original. On a global scale, it’s harder to compare numbers, but it seems the live-action Belle and Beast still earned more than their animated counterparts.
In terms of critical quality, reviews for the remakes are mostly mixed at best. The only films with decidedly positive reviews are “The Jungle Book” (with a higher Metacritic score than the original film), “Beauty and the Beast,” and “Cinderella.”
Ignoring the original films’ success, it still stands that two of these live-action remakes earned over a billion at the box office, with a third film (“The Jungle Book”) coming close to a billion. Back in 2016, it stood out that the CGI Baloo, King Louie and company raked in more than “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.”
A few other possible factors in the remakes’ box office favor include:
- Higher ticket prices versus the originals.
- Gimmicks and extras (3D, IMAX, etc.).
- The celebrity actors cast for the films, which might be a draw for some.
- Possibly the biggest factor of all, nostalgia. Nostalgia is what’s guaranteed to drive millions to films like the upcoming “The Lion King” remake. Even if it doesn’t sound like the movie won’t offer much that’s different (CGI aside) from the original film.
Overall, I don’t expect the live-action (or live-action-like CGI) Disney remakes to let up anytime soon. Though I have to wonder how deep this will all go… “The Rescuers?” “Oliver and Company?” “The Great Mouse Detective?”
Photo by HenningE (Pixabay)
