Disney Movie Remakes: Did The Original Films Do Better In The Box Office?
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Disney has been remaking a ton of their movies recently, and unless you've been living in a cave with your fingers in your ears, you've probably noticed it too. These remakes give these classic stories a contemporary face-lift and let a whole new generation enjoy these films that we all love.
Sure, you can watch all the originals from the comfort of your own home, but when was the last time you could watch the original Lion King in theaters? Aside from catching one of the original films at your local cinema when they are having a random Disney showing on a summer afternoon, you probably haven't seen these movies in theaters since they first released.
So whether you think this is a "Disney moneygrab" or a way to have the next generation feel the same love for these characters we felt the first time we saw them on the big screen, success in Hollywood is gauged by box office success. A movie can win awards or be critically-acclaimed, but what really matters is making more money than it cost to produce a movie.
Disney kicked off its string of live-action remakes with 1994's The Jungle Book, so starting there, we're taking a look at 10 remakes, checking out how much money they made in theaters, and figuring out which movie was more successful. Of course, we'll also adjusting for inflation for the original movies and a couple of the remakes from the '90s. All of the box office information came from BoxOfficeMojo and inflation adjustments were done at US Inflation Calculator. Let's see who wins the battle of the remakes!
The Jungle Book (1994)
Jason Scott Lee (Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story) starred as Mowgli in this Stephen Sommers-directed film. While this story is based on the book of the same name by Rudyard Kipling, this was a Disney production, unlike Netflix's Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, which had no connection to Disney.
The Jungle Book (1994)
- Domestic: $43,229,904
- Adjusted for inflation: $74,841,698
The Jungle Book (1967)
- Worldwide: $205,843,612
- Adjusted for inflation: $1,581,242,556
Winner: The original
101 Dalmatians (1996)
Glenn Close starred as Cruella DeVil in this mid-'90s movie, which did pretty well. In 2000, the movie got a sequel called 102 Dalamatians. In 2021, there will an origin story of that despicable character called Cruella, and Emma Stone will play the titular role.
101 Dalmatians (1996)
- Domestic: $136,189,294
- Worldwide: $320,689,294
- Adjusted for inflation: $524,407,730
101 Dalmatians (1961)
- Worldwide: $215,880,014
- Adjusted for inflation: $1,852,459,902
Winner: The original
Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Starring Johnny Depp and directed by Tim Burton, the 2010 live-action remake got a sequel and made over $1 billion worldwide.
Alice in Wonderland (2010)
- Domestic: $334,191,110
- Worldwide: $1,025,467,110
Alice in Wonderland (1951)
There was no box office information on the 1951 movie, so there is no winner.
Cinderella (2015)
2015's Cinderella kicked off the current run of live-action remakes of classic Disney animated movies.
Cinderella (2015)
- Domestic: $201,151,353
- Worldwide: $543,514,353
Cinderella (1950)
- Domestic: $93,141,149
- Adjusted for inflation: $991,589,947
Winner: The original
Pete's Dragon (2016)
The original Pete's Dragon was a mixture of live-action and animation, much like 2016's version, which flew very under-the-radar when it came out.
Pete's Dragon (2016)
- Domestic: $76,233,151
- Worldwide: $143,695,338
Pete's Dragon (1977)
- Worldwide: $39,588,000
- Adjusted for inflation: $167,609,451
Winner: The original
Jungle Book (2016)
The same year as Pete's Dragon released, Jungle Book came out, which is the best Disney live-action remake to date, as far as quality goes.
Jungle Book (2016)
- Domestic: $364,001,123
- Worldwide: $966,550,600
Jungle Book (1967)
- Worldwide: $205,843,612
- Adjusted for inflation: $1,581,242,556
Winner: The original
Beauty and the Beast (2017)
While there were a few changes in the recent remake starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, it was heavily criticized for being too much like the 1991 original animated movie. Regardless, the 2017 version was the first of these Disney remakes to do better than the original film.
Beauty and the Beast (2017)
- Domestic: $504,014,165
- Worldwide: $1,263,521,126
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
- Worldwide: $424,967,620
- Adjusted for inflation: $800,546,014
Winner: The remake
Dumbo (2019)
Tim Burton tried his hand at another live-action Disney remake this year, but it was overshadowed by the two other big remakes that came out this year.
Dumbo (2019)
- Domestic: $114,766,307
- Worldwide: $352,994,129
Dumbo (1941)
No information available for the original, so there will be no winner.
Aladdin (2019)
The original 1992 Aladdin was a huge movie for Disney, and its 2019 remake was even bigger.
Aladdin (2019)
- Domestic: $354,530,286
- Worldwide: $1,045,554,766
Aladdin (1992)
- Worldwide: $504,050,219
- Adjusted for inflation: $921,772,407
Winner: The remake
Lion King (2019)
Trying to top the original animated Lion King film was a near-impossible task, as it made almost $1 billion worldwide before being adjusted for inflation. However, this year's remake came pretty close.
Lion King (2019)
- Domestic: $524,589,706
- Worldwide: $1,570,917,452
Lion King (1994)
- Worldwide: $968,483,777
- Adjusted for inflation: $1,676,685,905
Winner: The original