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When you think of classic Disney movies, the likes of\u00a0Bambi\u00a0probably spring to mind.\u00a0However, you might be surprised to learn that these treasured gems epically flopped upon release, costing the studio millions.<\/p>\n
And these aren’t the only beloved Disney films\u00a0that bombed at the box office. Discover the Disney classics that surprisingly flopped, and the reasons why.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n All dollar amounts\u00a0in US dollars, with films\u00a0ranked by their inflation-adjusted domestic box office gross (highest to lowest).<\/p>\n Cinematic\/Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n Treasure Planet (2002), Disney’s steampunk take on the classic Robert Louis Stevenson novel Treasure Island, is a cult classic. Yet the film marked a major box office disaster for the studio upon release.<\/p>\n The fantasy adventure flick boasted a colossal budget of $140 million ($250m\/\u00a3185m in 2025 money). However, it pulled in just $71.4 million ($128m\/\u00a395m today) domestically and $109.5 million ($196m\/\u00a3145m today) worldwide.<\/p>\n The failure of the\u00a0film was attributed to several factors, including tough box office competition from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and the struggle to find an audience for the quirky space-pirate concept.<\/p>\n United Archives GmbH\/Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n Fantasia 2000 (2000) was Disney’s ambitious sequel to the 1940 classic. Like its predecessor, it featured a collection of animated segments set to classical music from iconic composers, including Beethoven and Stravinsky.<\/p>\n The film boasted an estimated budget of up to $85 million ($159m\/\u00a3117m today). However, it grossed just $60.6 million ($113m\/\u00a383m today) at the domestic box office and $90.8 million ($170m\/\u00a3125m today) globally. Though it technically earned its production costs back, Disney likely lost money when factoring in marketing and distribution costs.<\/p>\n The original was also a flop (more on that soon), with the doomed\u00a0sequel proving that 60 years on, audiences still had little appetite for the niche concept.<\/p>\n Moviestore Collection Ltd\/Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n The Rescuers Down Under (1990) hoped to capitalise on the success of the original 1977 film.<\/p>\n Disney more than tripled the production budget for the sequel, which reportedly reached up to $37.9 million ($93m\/\u00a369m today). Alas, the film grossed just $27.9 million ($69m\/\u00a351m today) domestically and $47.4 million ($117m\/\u00a386m today) globally.<\/p>\n Several factors contributed to the failure, including mixed reviews and tough box office competition from Home Alone. Disney’s then-chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg pulled TV advertisements to save costs when the movie bombed during its opening weekend, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a significant financial loss for the studio.<\/p>\n Story Continues <\/p>\n Allstar Picture Library Limited\/Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n The Black Cauldron (1985) was such a disaster it almost ended Disney’s animation department.<\/p>\n The ill-fated fantasy flick had a budget of $44 million ($131m\/\u00a397m today) yet grossed just $21.3 million ($64m\/\u00a347m today) domestically. Its worldwide box office takings are unknown.<\/p>\n While regarded as a cult classic now, at the time it was deemed too dark for Disney audiences. Its failure led to animator Don Bluth leaving the studio and taking a large chunk of the staff with him. Fortunately, the studio was revived a few years later with the release of The Little Mermaid, which sparked Disney’s\u00a0Renaissance era.<\/p>\n Album\/Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n Bambi (1942) was the fifth animated feature film from Disney. Surprisingly, this much-loved gem epically flopped upon release, with audiences struggling to get behind its\u00a0exploration of dark themes.<\/p>\n The movie had an estimated production budget of $858,000 ($17m\/\u00a313m today) but grossed just $3 million ($59m\/\u00a344m today) domestically. Its worldwide box office earnings are unclear; however, the film was released during World War II, which had a detrimental impact on its international performance.<\/p>\n When factoring in additional costs like marketing and distribution, Bambi failed to turn a profit when it was initially released. However, the tearjerker film is now regarded as a classic and holds a global\u00a0lifetime gross of $267\u00a0million (\u00a3198m) thanks to several successful rereleases.<\/p>\n Allstar Picture Library Ltd \/ Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n Sleeping Beauty (1959) stands as one of Disney’s most cherished films. Yet\u00a0this sweeping fairytale was a financial disaster upon its initial release.<\/p>\n The film was Disney’s most expensive production at the time, with a budget of $6 million ($66m\/\u00a349m today). Despite the hefty investment, it grossed just $5.3 million ($58.5m\/\u00a343m today) domestically, while its international earnings are unknown.<\/p>\n Audiences were unimpressed with the film’s darker themes and more mature animation style (though ironically, today the stunning Renaissance-inspired animation is one of the most beloved aspects of the movie). Its box office failure resulted in redundancies in Disney’s animation department, with the studio shifting its focus to live-action projects.<\/p>\n Collection Christophel\/Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n Surprisingly, Pinocchio (1940) is yet another Disney classic that spectacularly flopped upon release.<\/p>\n The movie boasted a budget of $2.6 million ($60m\/\u00a344m today) but only grossed an estimated\u00a0$1.6 million ($36m\/\u00a327m today) domestically. Its international gross is unclear, but like Bambi, it was released during WWII, which impacted its international performance and was a massive contributing factor to its failure.<\/p>\n Today, the heartwarming flick is a treasured\u00a0favourite. It holds a truly enchanting global lifetime gross of $121\u00a0million (\u00a390m) thanks to rereleases.<\/p>\n Allstar Picture Library Ltd \/ Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n Fantasia (1940) was Walt Disney’s ambitious experiment combining classical music with animation, featuring segments set to pieces by composers including Bach and Tchaikovsky.<\/p>\n The project had a production budget of $2.2 million ($50.5 million\/\u00a337m today), though this figure doesn’t factor in the costly exhibition requirements. Disney created a roadshow attraction with specialised Fantasound systems and lighting for each theatre, costing over $85,000 ($1.9m\/\u00a31.4m today) per venue. Despite this spectacle, Fantasia grossed just $1.4 million ($32m\/\u00a324m today) during its initial domestic run.<\/p>\n The film would go on to recoup its costs in 1942 thanks to rereleases, and is today regarded as a Disney classic with a global lifetime gross of $76.4 million (\u00a356m).<\/p>\n Album\/Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n Alice in Wonderland (1951) is a celebrated\u00a0Disney classic, but the whimsical flick actually lost the studio millions upon release.<\/p>\n The movie had a production budget of $3 million ($37m\/\u00a327m today) but pulled in just $2.4 million ($30m\/\u00a322m) at the domestic box office.<\/p>\n The global box office gross is unknown, but the film received criticism in the UK for its unfaithful adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s beloved books. Meanwhile, the story of Alice in Wonderland wasn’t well known to US audiences, who found the surrealist plot confusing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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