Disney’s Live-Action “Snow White” Delivers Disappointing Opening Weekend
Disney’s latest live-action remake has stumbled at the box office, with “Snow White” earning just $43 million over its four-day opening weekend. The film, which reportedly cost $250 million to produce, represents one of the lowest openings for Disney’s recent slate of live-action reimaginings of animated classics.
According to Showbiz411, the performance falls far short of financial expectations for a film with such a substantial budget. Industry analysts typically suggest that films need to earn roughly 2.5 times their production costs to break even after accounting for marketing expenses and theatrical revenue splits, meaning “Snow White” would need to generate approximately $600 million globally to avoid financial losses.
Creative Changes and Controversies
The film’s disappointing performance comes after months of controversy surrounding Disney’s creative decisions to modernize the 1937 animated classic. Among the most discussed changes was the removal of the prince as Snow White’s love interest, replaced instead with what National Review describes as “the Robin Hood-like leader of a bandit gang.”
The original’s beloved song “Someday My Prince Will Come” was also cut from the new version, prompting criticism from fans of the classic. “They actually took out the prince as a hero, so ‘Someday’ couldn’t be included,” noted Showbiz411’s report.
Further changes included reimagining the seven dwarfs as “magical creatures,” a decision reportedly made to avoid potential offense. This alteration, combined with leaked images showing Snow White’s diverse group of companions, led some critics to mockingly suggest the film should be titled “Snow White and Her Seven Politically Correct Companions.”
Star’s Comments Added to Challenges
Rachel Zegler, who stars as Snow White, generated additional controversy through her public comments about the original film and her political statements. In promotional interviews leading up to the release, Zegler criticized the 1937 version, describing it as having “a big focus on her love story with the guy who literally stalks her. Weird, weird,” as quoted in a widely circulated interview.
Political tensions also surfaced between the film’s stars. Zegler shared the movie’s trailer on social media with the caption “And always remember, Free Palestine,” which reportedly caused friction with her Israeli-born co-star Gal Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen. According to the Washington Post, Gadot subsequently declined several promotional opportunities for the film.
The situation was further complicated following the 2024 U.S. presidential election when Zegler posted strong political statements that alienated potential viewers from across the political spectrum.
DEI Snow White BOMBS at the Box Office with dismal Opening Weekend…making it one of their worst-performing movies. pic.twitter.com/wp81mMiWhO
— Liz Churchill (@liz_churchill10) March 23, 2025
Family Connection Criticizes Remake
Even relatives of those involved in the original film expressed disappointment with the remake. David Hale Hand, son of the supervising director of the 1937 animated classic, was quoted saying, “From what I’ve read, [the new film] bears no reflection to the original story. It’s so far off base that it’s ridiculous.”
His wife Sandra added that “they’ve taken it and moved into the politics of what is woke. They’re taking a beautiful and beautifully drawn story and destroying what was Snow White,” according to Page Six.
Snow White flops at the Box Office, becoming one of Disney’s worst performing movies in recent years.
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) March 22, 2025
The movie made just $3.5 million in previews on Thursday across the U.S and is projected to earn between $45-55 million during opening weekend.
The movie which had a budget… pic.twitter.com/Y3tw8uAIsP
Industry Context
The disappointing performance of “Snow White” comes at a challenging time for theatrical releases. As Showbiz411 noted, “There’s not much going on in movieland right now. All I heart about is streaming TV. ‘Severance,’ ‘White Lotus,’ etc. The studios are doing this to themselves.”
Other recent releases have also struggled. “Magazine Dreams,” starring Jonathan Majors, earned only $700,000 during the same weekend, though its performance was likely affected by the lead actor’s legal troubles as well as its grim subject matter.
Disney reportedly conducted seven pre-screenings of “Snow White” that were received poorly, leading to last-minute changes that some critics suggest only confused the film’s narrative and tone. Martin Kaplan, head of the Norman Lear Center at the University of Southern California, told the New York Times that “no studio wants its movie branded as a DEI lesson.”
Box Office Implications
Beyond the immediate financial concerns, the underperformance of “Snow White” raises questions about Disney’s ongoing strategy of remaking animated classics with live action and contemporary sensibilities. Previous remakes like “The Lion King” and “Beauty and the Beast” generated substantial box office returns, but recent entries have shown diminishing returns.
Social media has highlighted the film’s apparent struggles to attract audiences, with videos reportedly showing nearly empty theaters during screenings. One such video posted on X was captioned “So many people here to watch Snow White,” with commenters adding “Snow White and the Seven Viewers,” according to the Daily Mail.
As the film continues its theatrical run, industry observers will be watching closely to see if international audiences respond more favorably or if “Snow White” will need to rely on streaming and home video releases to recoup its substantial investment.
