With a combined budget of $427 million, Disney’s modernized version of Snow White has underperformed at the box office, resulting in a loss of $115 million for the entertainment behemoth, despite grossing only $195 million worldwide. The failure is just another example of Hollywood’s efforts to substitute woke reimaginings of classic stories for ones that Americans find unappealing.
Disney’s Box Office Disaster
Disney’s live-action Snow White remake had a shockingly brief theatrical run, concluding by late April, just two months after its March 19 release. The film struggled from the start, managing just $43 million domestically and $44 million internationally on its opening weekend, signaling immediate trouble for the high-budget production.
Snow White Reviews:
IMDb: 2/10.
Rotten Tomatoes: 44%
Metacritic: 47%
The Guardian: “Toe-Curlingly terrible.”
Rolling Stone “The Most Controversial Disney Adult- Nightmare Ever.”
Vanity Fair: “Good enough for TV.”
Box Office: $43 million ($3m less than Dumbo.) pic.twitter.com/yMmcsnl8hu
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) March 24, 2025
Financial analysts report that the film had an enormous production budget, ranging from $250 to $270 million, with marketing and distribution adding another $140 million to the total investment. Some industry insiders suggest the actual production costs have ballooned to $350 million, potentially raising the break-even threshold to a staggering $700 million globally.
Controversy Surrounding Lead Actress
Lead actress Rachel Zegler became the center of controversy well before the film’s release, openly criticizing the original 1937 classic animation that generations of Americans grew up loving. Her promise to deliver a feminist overhaul of the beloved fairy tale alienated core Disney audiences who cherished the traditional storytelling of the original.
Update the IMDb rating for the film has now dropped to 1.9/10.
Rotten Tomatoes has also dropped a percentage point to 43%. pic.twitter.com/NVlFtaCiPb
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) March 25, 2025
Zegler’s comments about the prince in the original film being a “stalker” and “weird” further damaged the movie’s appeal among traditional Disney fans. These remarks, combined with her perceived dismissive attitude toward the source material, created a perfect storm of negative publicity that the film could never overcome.
Hollywood’s Costly Woke Lesson
The film’s devastating financial performance serves as a stark warning to studios that continue to prioritize political agendas over storytelling that resonates with mainstream American families. During its second weekend in theaters, Snow White was outperformed by more traditional fare, including “A Working Man” and the faith-based film “The Chosen: Last Supper,” demonstrating audience preference for content that respects traditional values.
Industry professionals have described Zegler’s behavior as “immature” and “narcissistic,” highlighting the disconnect between Hollywood elites and everyday American audiences. The film’s failure joins a growing list of Disney projects that have prioritized progressive messaging over the family entertainment formula that built the company’s once-sterling reputation.
Disney executives now face the sobering reality that their Snow White adaptation may result in losses approaching a quarter billion dollars. The financial disaster comes at a particularly challenging time for the company, which has experienced significant subscriber losses on its streaming platform and declining park attendance following years of controversy over its political stances.
The overwhelming rejection of this reimagined Snow White demonstrates that American audiences continue to value traditional storytelling and respect for beloved cultural touchstones. Disney’s expensive lesson proves that no amount of lavish production budgets can compensate for alienating the core family audience, which forms the backbone of their customer base.
Sources:
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/04/snow-white-continues-bomb-box-office-film-needs/