Disastrous Snow White's Box Office Performance

Disney’s "live-action" remake of “Snow White,” released on March 21, 2025, has been widely regarded as a box office failure. The film, which had a production budget estimated between $240 million and $270 million, faced numerous challenges that contributed to its disappointing financial performance.

Opening Weekend Performance

The film opened with a global total of approximately $87 million, which included about $43 million from the domestic market. This figure was significantly below expectations, as analysts had projected an opening weekend gross of around $63 million to $70 million in the U.S. alone12. Comparatively, other recent Disney live-action adaptations like “The Lion King” and “Beauty and the Beast” opened with much higher figures, earning $191 million and $174 million respectively3.

Second Weekend Decline

In its second weekend, “Snow White” experienced a dramatic drop in ticket sales, earning only about $14.2 million domestically—a staggering decline of 66% from its opening weekend45. This marked one of the worst second-weekend drops for any Disney live-action remake6. The film was overtaken by the mid-budget action movie “A Working Man,” which performed better than expected.

Total Box Office Earnings

As of now, “Snow White” has grossed approximately $143 million globally8. However, estimates suggest that it needs to reach around $500 million just to break even when considering production and marketing costs910. Current projections indicate that the film may finish with a worldwide total closer to $225 million, leading to potential losses exceeding $300 million for Disney11.

Contributing Factors to Failure

Several factors have been identified as contributing to the film’s poor performance:

Controversies Surrounding Casting: The casting of Rachel Zegler as Snow White drew criticism due to her comments about the original film and her political views. This backlash may have alienated potential audiences before the film’s release1213.

Negative Critical Reception: The film received low scores from critics (around 43% on Rotten Tomatoes) despite a somewhat better audience score (74%)1415. Critics described it as lacking charm and depth compared to previous adaptations16.

Market Saturation and Audience Fatigue: There is growing fatigue among audiences regarding Disney’s trend of remaking animated classics into live-action films. Many viewers are seeking original content rather than reboots or adaptations of older properties1718.

Poor Word-of-Mouth: Following its release, negative reviews and audience reactions likely contributed to diminishing interest in theaters during subsequent weeks19.

Conclusion

Overall, Disney’s “Snow White” is poised to be one of the biggest box office failures in recent history, facing significant financial losses due to its underwhelming performance both domestically and internationally. Despite being part of a beloved franchise, various controversies and critical reception have overshadowed its release. Rachel Zegler’s recent challenges stem from a combination of backlash related to her casting choices, controversial public statements regarding both the original Snow White film and current political issues, along with the disappointing commercial performance of her latest project. These factors have collectively contributed to what many are calling a significant setback in her burgeoning career.