Disney's highly anticipated live-action remake of ''Snow White'' debuted with a disappointing $43 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates for the weekend.
The film, which had a production budget exceeding $250 million, was expected to perform better, especially considering its significance in Disney’s history.
The 1937 original ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' was Disney’s first animated feature and helped establish the company’s success.
However, this remake, directed by Marc Webb, faced significant challenges. It was marred by controversies, including criticisms over the portrayal of the dwarfs, who were rendered in CGI, and backlash over comments made by lead actress Rachel Zegler. These issues led Disney to scale back its premiere.
The movie also received poor reviews, with only 43% of critics rating it as “fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes. While some Disney live-action remakes like ''The Lion King'' (2019) went on to massive success despite poor reviews, ''Snow White'' struggled to match even the opening numbers of other recent remakes, such as ''Dumbo'' (2019), which opened with $46 million, or ''Cinderella'' (2015) with $67.9 million.
Overseas, ''Snow White'' earned $44.3 million, bringing its global opening total to $87.3 million. Expectations had been higher, with initial projections suggesting a worldwide total closer to $100 million.
The film’s poor performance raises questions about Disney’s ongoing strategy of revisiting its animated classics with live-action versions. Despite some setbacks, Disney has seen successes with other films, and ''Snow White'' may still see an improvement in its earnings, as it faces limited competition in the coming weeks. Audiences gave the film a “B+” rating on CinemaScore, which could help its long-term prospects.
Meanwhile, other releases struggled as well. Warner Bros.' ''The Alto Knights'', a gangster film starring Robert De Niro, flopped with a mere $3.2 million opening. Additionally, ''Mickey 17'', a big-budget sci-fi film from director Bong Joon Ho, has earned only $40.2 million domestically in three weeks against a $118 million budget.
The disappointing weekend has contributed to a rough start for Hollywood in 2025, with box office earnings down 6.9% from last year and 38.6% from 2019.
Top 10 Movies by Domestic Box Office (Friday through Sunday estimates):
1. Snow White – $43 million
2. Black Bag – $4.4 million
3. Captain America: Brave New World – $4.1 million
4. Mickey 17 – $3.9 million
5. Novocaine – $3.8 million
6. The Alto Knights – $3.2 million
7. The Day the Earth Blew Up – $1.8 million
8. The Monkey – $1.5 million
9. Dog Man – $1.5 million
10. The Last Supper – $1.3 million illion at box office
