Disney is hitting the brakes on its stream of upcoming live-action adaptation movies.
The live-action reimagining of the 2010 animated movie “Tangled” is the first casualty in the studio’s ambitious lineup of live-action remakes. Disney put production of the live-action “Tangled” adaptation on an indefinite pause, The Hollywood Reporter announced Thursday.
“It remains uncertain whether ‘Tangled’ will move forward down the road or undergo a creative rethink,” per The Hollywood Reporter.
Reports of a live-action “Tangled” came in December. Details about the project were limited, but “The Greatest Showman” director Michael Gracey and Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who wrote “Thor: Love and Thunder,” were both attached to the project.
The decision to halt production on the “Tangled” adaptation comes in wake of underwhelming ticket sales for the live-action remake of “Snow White.”
“Snow White” opened with a sleepy $43 million in domestic box office sales. Overseas, the movie debuted with $87 million in ticket sales, per Box Office Mojo — landing far beneath anticipated box office earnings for the movie.
The controversy-plagued adaptation was forecast to clear the $100 million mark globally during its weekend debut, which, when compared to previous live-action remakes from Disney, was a reasonable earnings projection.
Disney’s 2019 live-action adaptation of “The Lion King” raked in $191 million opening weekend, and “Beauty and the Beast” debuted in 2017 with $174 million in ticket sales.
After almost two weeks in theaters, “Snow White” grossed nearly $70 million in ticket sales domestically, according to Box Office Mojo — a portion of the estimated $270 million in production and $100 million in marketing Disney spent putting the remake on screen, as previously reported by the Deseret News.
In previous years, Disney has enjoyed dependable ticket sales with live-action adaptation movies, likely prompting the studio to push a lineup of dozens of live-action remake movies.
Disney is still moving forward with upcoming live-action remakes “Lilo & Stitch,” which is set to release in May, and “Moana,” which is set to release in July 2026.
“Lilo & Stitch” and “Moana” could serve as opportunities for Disney to test the live-action remake strategy and assess audience interest in live-action remake movies.
In recent months, Disney had regularly added to its string of live-action projects, including “Bambi,” “The Sword in the Stone,” “Robin Hood,” “Hercules,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “The Aristocats” and more.