Despite the impressive box office performance of Disney’s The Lion King in 3D, Disney’s follow up re-releases (Beauty and the Beast, Finding Nemo and Monsters, Inc.) in 3D turned out to be disappointing for the studio.
Due to the weak performances of their subsequent 3D releases, Disney has opted to scrap plans for the re-release of The Little Mermaid in 3D. Disney had already begun work on the re-release in November, but sources are reporting that the media giant has decided not to go forward with the production.
Even though converting a film into 3D does not cost nearly as much as producing a film from scratch, the marketing expense of a nationwide release would be too great to justify.
The Lion King in 3D grossed an impressive $100 million in the U.S. and Canada, but each subsequent 3D re-release grossed less than half that total.
