Disney’s fixation on live-action remakes is a little like that one friend who insists on telling the same tale—you’ve heard it before, but every so often it’s still amusing. Occasionally, it gets you asking if they’ve exhausted new content. Love ’em or hate ’em, these films have stacked up billions on the international box office, while critics grumble about “cash grabs” and nostalgia fatigue. So which of them flew highest, and why did audiences continue to turn up? Here’s a top-five countdown of the most successful Disney remakes.
5. Aladdin (2019)
Blue Genie memes notwithstanding, Aladdin ended up being a box office magic trick, reaping $569.6 million globally. Its $91.5 million opening in the U.S. was the second-largest Memorial Day opening for Disney up to that point, and international markets took it further. Japan alone accounted for a staggering $122.4 million, becoming the biggest hit of the year in the country, with South Korea chipping in another $91 million.
The critical response? Divided, to put it mildly. Numerous critics found it dull in comparison to the animated original, but audiences disagreed wholeheartedly, awarding the film one of the widest critic-vs-public score margins for any Disney remake. Perhaps it was the music, perhaps it was Will Smith’s star power, or perhaps people just needed to see Agrabah again on the big screen.
4. Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland was the movie that set the flame ablaze for Disney’s contemporary remake era. Empowered by 3D mania following Avatar, Burton’s quirky take on Wonderland brought in $1.02 billion across the globe, becoming only the sixth film in history to reach the billion-dollar mark at the time.
Less a faithful remake than a Burton reinvention, Alice relied on heavy doses of surreal imagery and gothic stylings. The sequel bombed, but the runaway success of the original made Disney realize that excavating its back catalog of animated classics—and tarting them up with CGI—was a billion-dollar move.
3. The Jungle Book (2016)
Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book didn’t simply swing into the cineplexes—it roared. It took a $103.2 million opening domestically and finished with a worldwide total of $967.7 million: the benchmark for how Disney remakes would be from here on out: respectful of the original, technology-driven, and soaked in nostalgia.
Audiences were awed by the uber-realistic CGI beasts (and yes, a few children might have been a tad too awed), and 3D surcharges added padding to the prices yet again. Critics welcomed it as one of the few remakes that really did better than the original animated classic in some areas.
2. Beauty and the Beast (2017)
The story, as old as time, became a cash-printing machine. Headlined by Emma Watson, Beauty and the Beast raked in $174.7 million at its opening weekend in the U.S. and later reached $1.35 billion worldwide. It became the highest-grossing live-action musical of all time, only behind The Last Jedi among 2017 films.
The remake was loyal to a fault—instituting new songs and subplots that didn’t sit well with everyone. It was criticized as more of a high-gloss imitation than a reinvention, yet Disney wasn’t seeking to innovate. The objective was spectacular by nostalgia, and the results did their own speaking.
1. The Lion King (2019)
No shocker here—the “live-action” Lion King (although all CGI) dominated the box office savannah with $1.66 billion globally. It launched with a whopping $191.7 million domestically and briefly ranked among the top ten highest-grossing films in history.
Nevertheless, its success was not without condition. The photorealistic aesthetic wowed in terms of technique but sucked out much of the emotional expressiveness from the characters, rendering some of the scenes to seem hollow about the animated original. Most critics contended that it represented the worst of the remake trend: graphically beautiful, but in terms of storytelling, unnecessary. Regardless, Beyoncé’s soundtrack boost and the nostalgia factor saw the crowds flocking in.
The Bigger Picture
Since 2010, Disney’s live-action remakes collectively have taken in almost $9 billion. But cracks are beginning to appear. Later attempts, such as Snow White, have fallen short, indicating that the nostalgia + CGI spectacle formula may be losing its oomph. For the time being, however, Disney appears committed to tapping its animated treasure chest—and viewers, whether they’re optimistic or cynical, continue to show up for one more nostalgia trip.