‘Snow White’ remake, battling controversy, posts $42 million

By Thomas Buckley

Snow White, Walt Disney Co.’s modern-day remake of the 1937 animated classic, opened to weekend sales that missed box-office forecasts, the result of mixed reviews and a blizzard of negative publicity.

The live-action remake starring Rachel Zegler in the title role delivered ticket sales of $42.2 million in the US and Canada, according to figures released Monday by Comscore Inc. The industry tracker Box Office Pro had predicted at least $45 million and up to $55 million — an already low range for a major theatrical production. Globally, the movie’s ticket sales were $87 million.

Disney’s marketing campaign for the picture, a remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs that cost more than $250 million to produce, was hampered by a number of controversies that may have cost the company at the box office. Some online detractors didn’t think Zegler, an American actress with Colombian heritage, should be cast as Snow White. Zegler also fanned controversy, with political comments about President Donald Trump and the Israeli-Palestinian war. Disney’s reimagining of the dwarfs as computer-generated, magical beings added to the heat.

The company made the remake a tale of female empowerment. Instead of trying to find a husband, the new Snow White leads a Joan of Arc-like rebellion against the Evil Queen, played by Gal Gadot. She was named not for her complexion, but for the snow storm her family endured the day she was born. Her love interest is one of the rebels, not a prince.

Snow White is Disney’s second release in theaters this year, and the second to disappoint at the box office. The February picture Captain America: Brave New World from Marvel Studios has grossed $401 million worldwide, a low haul relative to its $180 million production budget and the performance of past superhero titles.

Like Brave New World, Snow White failed to resonate with reviewers, with just 42 per cent recommending the film on Rotten Tomatoes, although it scored higher with audiences.

Until these two setbacks, the Disney movie studio led by Alan Bergman had been on a tear, releasing the billion-dollar hit sequels Inside Out 2, from Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine and Moana 2. Disney’s 2025 slate includes a higher number of new concepts, such as the vigilante spy thriller The Amateur and Pixar’s Elio, about a boy who makes contact with extraterrestrials.

Also last weekend, Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.’s The Alto Knights, a mobster drama featuring Robert De Niro and directed by Barry Levinson, delivered underwhelming ticket sales, bringing in just $3.17 million against projections of up to $5 million.