It flopped spectacularly.
The live-action remake of Snow White has set a new low for Disney’s remakes, with a disappointing $43 million opening weekend, the worst debut for any of the studio’s recent live-action adaptations. This underperformance surpasses the previous record set by Dumbo in 2019, which opened with $46 million. When adjusted for inflation, Dumbo‘s opening would amount to $57 million today, emphasizing just how poorly Snow White has been received.
Internationally, the situation isn’t much better. Initial estimates suggested the global box office for the weekend would hit around $100 million, but it now looks likely to settle at $87 million. With a production budget of $270 million, Snow White is expected to struggle to break even, let alone cover promotional costs. Considering theaters typically take about 50% of box office earnings, Disney faces a significant financial loss.
Critics and commentators have offered various reasons for the movie’s failure, but some entertainment media outlets suggest that the film’s lackluster performance is due to the age of the original Snow White story, which was released 88 years ago. However, this reasoning falls flat when compared to other successful remakes like Cinderella (2015), based on a 65-year-old film, which opened to $68 million and grossed over $500 million globally.
While the film’s star, Rachel Zegler, and its feminist themes have sparked controversy, Disney and its supporters have been reluctant to acknowledge these factors as potential contributors to the movie’s poor reception. Instead, many argue that the film simply failed to connect with audiences, alienating fans and falling short of expectations.
It remains to be seen how Snow White will fare in the coming weeks, especially with less competition at the box office. However, the initial response suggests that the film could struggle to recover, with some already drawing parallels to other underperforming projects like The Marvels.
