Despite months, if not years, of Disney fans pleading with the House of Mouse to cancel their latest live-action remake of Snow White, the studio elected to proceed with the somewhat doomed project—likely hoping things could still turn around. Yet despite all hopes that their once-magical tale would enchant young fans around the world once again, Snow White (2025) could just be the company’s biggest box office disaster yet.
Unless you’ve been on some sort of social media hiatus, it’s been difficult to ignore the ongoing backlash and criticism surrounding the recently released film. Of course, this hostile reception started long before theatres welcomed audiences to see the new adaptation of the classic fairy tale, and much of this boils down to the cast and the studio’s creative decisions.
The film has been loaded with controversy, whether it be Rachel Zegler’s critique that the original version was out of date for the twenty-first century since the prince “literally stalks” Snow White or Peter Dinklage’s remarks about the film’s portrayal of dwarfism, or perhaps even the unsettling appearance of those CGI dwarfs. With that in mind, is it really so shocking that the film did poorly on its first weekend at the box office? Probably not.
On its first weekend of release, the film was expected to earn a substantial $100 million globally, but it only made a bashful $87.3 million. This underwhelming start has certainly cast a shadow over the film’s future prospects.
Based on Screen Rant’s financial projections for Snow White, the 2025 live-action remake is anticipated to earn a sleepy $250 million worldwide, which is far less than Disney would have hoped for. This disappointing performance can be attributed to a combination of factors, including other big family-friendly projects opening in cinemas soon and, well, the mixed reviews from critics and audiences alike.
The film has a 42% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes thus far and has been mocked for feeling like two separate stories mashed into one. But in a shocking turn of events, critics and audiences have praised Zegler’s portrayal of the beloved princess, with many suggesting she is the film’s true highlight.
So, while the picture isn’t entirely horrible, it’s certainly not all Disney hoped it would be. Perhaps one day—after we’ve forgotten all the fuss, of course—this Snow White adaptation will be looked upon as a unique spin on a classic tale. For now, though, it appears to be a skippable addition to the Disney princess lineup.
It will be interesting to see how the other 2025 Snow White film does in comparison.
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