If you want to know which Disney movie had the lowest box office, in actual numbers, not counting re-releases, “package” movies, or the unusual roadshow pattern of “Fantasia,” it would be “Dumbo.” According to the book “Hollywood cartoons: American animation in its golden age” by Michael Barrier, the 1941 film made an estimated $1.3 million in North America. Since European markets were small at the time due to the emergence of World War II, its worldwide consumption was probably not much higher than that. It was certainly no higher than those of its contemporaries, “Pinocchio,” “Bambi,” and the historic hit “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (via Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television), all of which grossed about $3 million. or more worldwide.
But of course, listing Dumbo — or any of the films from that period — among Disney’s “lowest-grossing films” would be absurd. Adjusted for 2021 ticket prices, even Dumbo’s seemingly modest domestic box office before re-releases would equate to over $47 million (via DaveManuel.com). In fact, the film was actually considered a major hit for the time, as it was made on a much smaller budget than ‘Pinocchio’ and ‘Fantasia’, in order to make a sure profit and recoup losses at the time. wartime Disney box office.
The most interesting and difficult question would be “Which Disney animated film had the lowest grossing for his timeAnd, again, the answer depends on whether you’re talking about the rough itself or the losses incurred.
