Top 10 Worst Disney Disasters of All Time

Top 10 Worst Disney Disasters of All Time

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most disastrous Disney movies of all time.

#10: “The Marvels” (2023)

Phase Five of the MCU was a hot mess, complete with huge disappointments like “Quantumania” and “Brave New World.” But they were nothing compared to the disaster that was “The Marvels.” The movie received a less-than-welcoming reception, both online and in the quote-unquote “real world,” with its B CinemaScore being the lowest score in the MCU. But the real mess was at the box office. It opened very weak, coming in well short of expectations, notching the lowest opening weekend for the MCU franchise, and dropping nearly 80% in its second week. And with a global take of just $206 million, “The Marvels” is the lowest grossing entry in the MCU and its first certified bomb, losing Disney roughly $240 million. Ouchie.

#9: “The Jungle Book 2” (2003)

Coming many, many decades after its predecessor, “The Jungle Book 2” had a killer voice cast in Haley Joel Osment, John Goodman, and Mae Whitman. And that’s about all it has going for it. This movie was produced by Disney’s straight-to-video department, DisneyToon Studios, and that tells you pretty much all you need to know. Like many Disney sequels, “The Jungle Book 2” was actually intended as a direct-to-video release, but the company saw potential and released it theatrically. Good move, considering it was made for $20 million and made $135 million. But it was critically eviscerated, and it is currently the lowest-rated Disney movie on Rotten Tomatoes with just 19%.

#8: “Haunted Mansion” (2023)

You should rarely trust a movie that’s been in development hell for over a decade. It’s almost never a good sign. News of a new “Haunted Mansion” has been around since 2010, when Guillermo del Toro was attached to direct. But these plans fell through, and “Haunted Mansion” languished for years. It was finally released in the summer of 2023, which itself was a silly decision - why not do October for Halloween!? That was just one of the movie’s problems - compounding with its bad reviews, a lack of promotion owing to the actors’ strike, and the horrible release window forcing it to compete with Barbenheimer. It made just $117 million, losing Disney nearly $120 million when factoring in marketing and the movie’s enormous budget.

#7: “Treasure Planet” (2002)

Disney was going through a dark age in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, culminating in the horrific disaster that was “Treasure Planet.” A sci-fi adaptation of “Treasure Island,” it is still the most expensive traditionally-animated movie ever made, with an astounding budget of $140 million. Despite its ambition and unique blend of animation styles, the movie was a huge failure at the box office, opening in fourth place with $12 million and never recovering. It ended up finishing with just $109 million, making it one of the most expensive bombs in movie history. Its failure has been attributed to many factors, including stiff competition at the box office, confusion around its genre, and the decline of 2D animation.

#6: “Wish” (2023)

This was not a great way to celebrate Disney’s centennial. To mark the occasion, Disney went back to the well, with the style of traditional animation and a story centered around wishes coming true. But they couldn’t have made a more generic movie if they tried. “Wish” is what would happen if you asked ChatGPT to write you a traditional Disney story, and the lack of hit songs certainly didn’t help. It was little more than corporate back-patting, and audiences saw right through it. “Wish” debuted to just $30 million over the five-day Thanksgiving weekend, despite projections of a $50 million opening weekend. Its stock instantly plummeted and ended up losing Disney an estimated $130 million. You could say that they…wished this did better.

#5: “The Lone Ranger” (2013)

It is possible to bring a franchise back from the dead, but it’s very difficult. The Lone Ranger is an old character that hasn’t been culturally relevant in decades, in an outdated genre that hasn’t been culturally relevant in decades, and starring a popular actor in redface. It also didn’t help that the movie was two and a half hours long and came with an unbelievable price tag of $250 million. On no planet would this have been anything but a disaster, and we honestly have no idea what Disney was thinking. Regardless, the company was punished with one of the biggest bombs in history, with the movie grossing just $260 million and losing Disney nearly $200 million.

#4: “Strange World” (2022)

Inspired by pulp stories and old adventure movies, “Strange World” harkens back to a time gone by. Maybe that’s why it was such a monumental failure, with a projected loss of around $200 million. Of course, there are many other reasons. Disney’s marketing campaign was oddly muted for a major animated feature, and many viewers weren't even aware the movie existed until it was too late. The trailers were also quite confusing, there was a notable lack of star power, and worst of all, people were still hesitant about going to the theater - especially since Disney movies arrive on streaming just a few weeks after they debut. “Strange World” was a strange case, grossing just $73 million worldwide. It is nothing short of a catastrophe.

#3: “John Carter” (2012)

Now regarded as a cautionary tale in Hollywood, “John Carter” will go down as one of the business’s biggest blunders. The film was preceded by one of the all-time worst marketing campaigns, with confusing trailers, the most generic title possible, and a failure to lean into the legacy of the source material. Its director was also inexperienced in live action films, it was released in the doldrums of early March, and it had no bankable stars, with little-known Taylor Kitsch leading the way. Extreme budget bloat also pushed the movie over $300 million, which is just ridiculous. In the end, “John Carter” lost Disney about $260 million, making it the costliest bomb ever when adjusted for inflation.

#2: “The Black Cauldron” (1985)

This dark fantasy is known as “the film that almost killed Disney,” and for good reason. For one thing, it was the most expensive animated movie ever made at the time, with a budget of $44 million. Unfortunately, this was accompanied by a ton of behind-the-scenes drama. The movie was in development for over a decade and suffered from major creative disagreements, with new exec Jeffrey Katzenberg ordering major edits and butchering the story. Disney was also suffering from poor leadership under Walt Disney’s son-in-law Ron Miller, whom many found to be inexperienced and ineffective. And thanks to a darker tone and some insane competition, “The Black Cauldron” crashed at the box office, putting the entire future of Disney in jeopardy.

#1: “Snow White” (2025)

This movie is just a masterclass in poor decision making and a great example of the rot that is currently infesting Disney. Virtually everything about this film was viciously condemned before it was even released. The casting was controversial, the dwarf debacle was an absolute mess, the visuals were horrific, its star was openly condemning the original movie, and social media drama followed it like a shadow. And while the finished movie wasn’t the absolute calamity that many were expecting, it was still quite bad. “Snow White” came in well below projections at the box office and fell short of its budget, let alone the $500 million it needed to break even. This is history in the making, right here.

Do you think these movies should have bombed, or do you have a soft spot for them? Let us know in the comments below!