The big-budget live-action adaptation of the beloved fable, Disney’s “Snow White,” opened to a sluggish $43 million at the US box office this weekend amidst a number of unsettling issues.
According to early industry projections, “Snow White,” which cost about $270 million to produce, would earn between $48 and $58 million on its opening weekend.
Notwithstanding its lacklustre performance, “Snow White” outperformed Focus Features’ “Black Bag” ($4.4 million) and Disney’s “Captain America: Brave New World” ($4.1 million), and industry observers predict that it will continue to expand steadily in the coming weeks.
“It’s a Disney production. Family competition won’t be a major issue once it settles in. The train’s locomotive pulls this weekend,” said David A. Gross, owner of the film consulting firm FranchiseRe.
Although the 1937 Disney classic was remade and did quite well at the box office, it was far less successful than Disney’s “Cinderella,” which was released on March 13, 2015, around 10 years ago. Without any controversy, “Cinderella” made $91.8 million on its first weekend of release, with a budget of $138.3 million, both figures adjusted for inflation. Paul Dergarabedian, a Comscore analyst, noted that the overabundance of remakes and fluctuating box office interest have contributed to the Disney princess genre’s uneven success.
“There might be some sourness about these live-action reimaginings of vintage animated films,” he stated.
Additionally, it didn’t help that “Snow White” received negative publicity before its premiere. The casting of Rachel Zegler, an American actress of Colombian heritage, as the title character and Gal Gadot, who served a mandatory stint in the Israeli army, as the “Evil Queen” ultimately put the children’s film and musical in the centre of a cultural conflict. The Seven Dwarfs were then recast as magical beings, which drew criticism from Peter Dinklage, an actor from “Game of Thrones.”
According to Gross, “Snow White” was probably harmed and distracted by Zegler’s casting. He claimed that rather than switching characters for remakes, some viewers would rather see fresh, unique stories with different characters.
Shawn Robbins, the founder and owner of Box Office Theory and director of analytics at Fandango, stated that it is doubtful that the controversies affected the movie’s primary audiences, which are young girls and families.
“When the general public hears about a film or sees a trailer, they decide whether or not to see it based on their feelings,” he stated.
Over the past three weeks, fewer people went to the movies, which caused the box office to drop by over 7% year over year, according to Comscore data. This is a change from 2024, when the box office was up 22%, and a better start to the year.
“It’s not surprising,” Robbins told CNN, adding that the March 2024 release of “Dune: Part Two” and “Kung Fu Panda 4” were far superior to the films scheduled for late February and March 2025.
“That’s a natural part of the box office’s ups and downs,” he remarked. “I most certainly see that turning back in favour of 2025 sooner rather than later.”
Any moment could see a change in the box office, particularly as the summer blockbusters’ release draws nearer.
Dergarabedian anticipates that earnings will change significantly in the coming weeks, especially with Warner Bros. Pictures’ “A Minecraft Movie” coming out on April 4. CNN is owned and operated by Warner Brothers Discovery.
“Minecraft” will appeal to families and kids, capitalising on the genre’s dependability, which has increased box office receipts, Dergarabedian said.
“This is the box office story—it’s always the peaks and valleys, the ups and downs,” he remarked.
