Disney’s live-action remake of Snow White was expected to be a big hit. It is based on the 1937 animated classic, which was Disney’s first full-length feature film. However, the new version became one of the studio’s biggest failures in years.
The film cost $270 million to produce. On its opening weekend, beginning March 21, it earned just $43 million in the U.S. and Canada. In its second weekend, it dropped by 66%, adding only $14.2 million more. As of now, the domestic total is about $69.8 million. Worldwide, it has made around $145.6 million. Industry experts say Disney could lose up to $115 million.
These numbers are far below expectations. Back in February, experts predicted it would open with at least $85 million in the U.S. The movie performed worse than 2019’s Dumbo remake, which had opened at $46 million and was previously Disney’s lowest-performing live-action reboot.
So, what went wrong?
Key Takeaways
- Disney’s live-action Snow White opened with just $43M and is projected to lose up to $115M despite a $270M budget.
- Its reception was hurt by poor storytelling, controversial press from lead actress Rachel Zegler, and public backlash over “woke” changes.
- Industry insiders believe Disney must shift its strategy, tone down political messaging, and focus on family-centered storytelling.
Controversies and Public Backlash Hurt the Film Before Release
The movie faced many problems even before it was released. One of the biggest issues came from lead actress Rachel Zegler. She made several comments about the original 1937 film that upset fans. In one interview, she said the prince in the original story was like a “stalker” and called the love story “weird.” She said the new version would not focus on romance.
In this remake, the male lead is not a prince. He is a bandit named Jonathan, played by Andrew Burnap. He and Snow White work together to defeat the evil queen, played by Gal Gadot. This change removed the traditional love story–practically the backbone of the original movie.
Zegler also made political comments online that added to the backlash. In August, she posted “Free Palestine” on social media right after thanking fans for 120 million trailer views. This upset some people, especially since her co-star Gal Gadot is Israeli. Disney producer Marc Platt reportedly flew to New York to confront Zegler about her posts and asked her to work with a social media expert.
Later, Zegler also posted anti-Trump comments like “F**k Donald Trump” and “May Trump supporters never know peace” after the 2024 U.S. election. She later apologized, saying she let her emotions get the best of her. Still, many fans and insiders believed her statements hurt the movie’s image.
Marc Platt’s son, Jonah Platt, also criticized Zegler in a long social media post. He said his father had to leave his family to fly across the country to speak with her. He accused her of using the film’s promotion period to push her personal politics. Jonah said her actions affected the movie’s success and the jobs of the many people who worked on it.
Casting and Story Changes Also Faced Strong Criticism
The film faced early criticism for casting a Latina actress, Rachel Zegler, as Snow White. Some conservative critics said the character should be “white as snow,” as described in the original story.
The film also changed other key parts of the original. The romantic storyline was removed. Instead, Snow White focuses on becoming a leader. The new message of the film was that she did not need a prince to save her.
Christian Toto, a film critic and host of the Hollywood in Toto podcast, said the story had become too “woke.” He said the changes ignored the original story and made the film less appealing. That said, he did praise Zegler’s singing voice and said the film moved quickly and had some sweetness. He believed it might do better once released on Disney+.
The film also ran into controversy over its depiction of the seven dwarves. Actor Peter Dinklage criticized the idea of making a story about “seven dwarves living in a cave,” calling it outdated. As a result, Disney decided to use CGI instead of casting actors with dwarfism, which led to new criticism from others in the dwarf community. Jason Acuña, known as Wee Man from Jackass, said Disney had taken away important roles from actors with dwarfism.
YouTuber Nerdrotic, also known as Gary Buechler, criticized the film strongly. He said the movie was made worse by what he called a “two-year-long PR nightmare.” He called the film a “well-earned historic failure” and compared it to propaganda. He also said the CGI dwarves looked bad and didn’t find Zegler’s character believable.
Disney’s Response and What Comes Next
Due to the backlash and low earnings, Disney has already taken action. A planned live-action remake of Tangled has been placed on hold. The film was supposed to be directed by Michael Gracey, and the script was written by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. The delay suggests Disney is rethinking its live-action remake plans.
Critics like Kyle Smith from The Wall Street Journal said Disney may need to add a “stupidity clause” to actor contracts. This clause would let studios penalize actors who hurt a film’s image through careless or offensive public comments. Smith also pointed out that many parents are more traditional and may not support films with strong political messages.
Christian Toto agreed that actors should be careful with what they say during movie promotions, stating the main goal of press tours is to convince people to see the film, not to share political views.
Smith also noted how unusual it is for a kids’ movie to perform this badly. He said most children’s films still earn decent money even if reviews are poor since parents want a reason to get out of the house. He expected Snow White to earn at least $150 million in the U.S., but now it may not even reach $100 million.
A Sign of Bigger Issues in Hollywood
Some people think that the Snow White flop shows bigger issues in Hollywood. There are too many reboots and remakes, and studios are not always clear about who they are making these movies for.
Variety reported that Disney reduced its promotion for the film before its release and delayed opening ticket sales. The movie was review-bombed on IMDb, with over 91% of users giving it one out of ten stars. The film also has a low score of 40% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Meanwhile, discussions around actors’ political views and Hollywood’s handling of the Israel-Palestine conflict are growing. Rachel Zegler’s post supporting Palestine drew criticism, but other stars have also faced consequences. Melissa Barrera was removed from the Scream series for pro-Palestinian comments. Maha Dakhil, a top agent at CAA, stepped down from her position after sharing a post that described Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide.
At the same time, actors like Mark Ruffalo and Guy Pearce — who have shared similar views — continue to receive awards and nominations. This shows how people are treated for their opinions, which can depend on their status, appearance, or background.
The U.S. government is also taking notice. The FCC is investigating Disney and its network ABC. Chair Brendan Carr says Disney may have broken equal employment rules by using diversity hiring practices. He cited ABC’s “Inclusion Standards,” which aimed to hire people from underrepresented groups.
