10 Fascinating Facts About Disney's Pinocchio
2. It Was A Box-Office Bomb
Once again, Pinocchio had a massive budget for an animated film for the 1930s-40s. Approximately $2.3 million was spent on making the film, a good $500,000 more than Snow White took to make. Unlike Snow White, however, the risk wasn’t worth the reward. Or at least, it wasn’t initially.
Though praised by critics for its craftsmanship and depth, by the years end Pinocchio only made $1 million. Final box office reports place the film at $1.9 million at the absolute most by the end of it’s initial theatrical run. Reasons for this would naturally point to World War 2 being at it’s fiercest, making the film difficult to distribute throughout Europe and Asia, so worldwide takings suffered as a result.
With Snow White being such a boon for Disney’s early years, many were disappointed with the takings, with Walt being “very, very depressed” according to artist Joe Grant. In the years that followed though, Pinocchio was rereleased several times following the war and by 1973 had earned a healthy $17 million.