Snow White Gets Cold Shoulder from Viewers
Disney’s newest remake is off to a troubling start. The new Snow White movie made just $3.5 million on its opening Thursday previews and is projected to earn between $45-55 million during its opening weekend. That’s concerning news for a movie that cost a whopping $250 million to make, plus additional marketing costs.
What the Numbers Tell Us
The movie needs big crowds, especially families, to turn a profit. But early signs aren’t promising. Some box office trackers are suggesting the film might struggle to hit even $40-45 million for its opening weekend. For comparison, other Disney live-action remakes did much better – The Little Mermaid opened with $95 million in 2023.
On review sites, audiences aren’t impressed. The movie received a low 46% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes with 147 reviews counted. Viewer ratings are just starting to come in.
Why Viewers Are Staying Away
Many point to the controversy surrounding the film’s star, Rachel Zegler. In interviews before the movie’s release, she made comments that many Disney fans found disrespectful to the original classic.
In an interview with Extra TV, Zegler said the 1937 original had “a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her” which she called “weird, weird.” She also said that in the new version, Snow White is “not going to be dreaming about true love” but instead about becoming a leader.
Show White actress Rachel Zegler previously said she was “scared of the original cartoon.”
“I think I watched it once and I never picked it up again.” pic.twitter.com/DXy7PT4PBb
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) March 22, 2025
A Storm of Other Controversies
Zegler’s comments weren’t the only problem facing the film. Actor Peter Dinklage criticized Disney’s approach to portraying the seven dwarfs, questioning how they could proudly cast a Latina actress while still telling a story with potentially problematic depictions of people with dwarfism. This forced Disney to rethink how the dwarfs would appear in the film.
Political tensions also emerged between the film’s stars.
Zegler has expressed support for Palestine on social media, while her co-star Gal Gadot, who is Israeli, has been an outspoken supporter of Israel. This reportedly created awkwardness during the film’s promotion.
Further fueling the fire, Zegler posted on Instagram following Donald Trump’s reelection, writing in part:
“May Trump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace.”
She later apologized for these remarks, but this alienated many potential viewers.
Disney’s handling of the film’s promotion raised eyebrows as well.
The studio restricted media access at the film’s premiere, with Zegler and Gadot only participating in interviews with Disney’s in-house crew instead of the established entertainment press. This unusual move suggested concerns about further controversy.
Why This Matters to Conservatives
For conservative families who value tradition and respect for cultural classics, these comments felt like an attack on beloved stories that have connected generations.
Many conservatives believe Hollywood studios should honor the legacy of classics rather than remaking them with political messages. When a star criticizes the very story they’re remaking, it signals disrespect for the audience who cherishes these tales.
Even industry marketing experts believe Disney could have handled the controversy better by rallying support from social media influencers early on and highlighting positive aspects of the film instead of letting negative press dominate the conversation.
The Money Matters
Movies are business investments, and this one is expensive. According to industry sources, Snow White cost around $270 million to produce. With marketing costs added in, the total investment is enormous.
Early data shows the movie is mostly attracting female audiences. PostTrak reports that 68% of the current audience is female, with 84% of kids under 12 who attended being girls. However, the “definite recommend” rating is low at just 39%, suggesting word-of-mouth may not help the film in coming weeks.
What Critics Say
Defenders of the new approach argue that fairy tales need updating for modern audiences. Some suggest that stories from the 1930s naturally need revision to connect with today’s children and families.
Others point out that similar controversy surrounded The Little Mermaid remake when Halle Bailey was cast as Ariel, but her performance was ultimately praised and the film performed reasonably well. They suggest the online backlash doesn’t represent most moviegoers.
What Comes Next
Hollywood will be watching these numbers closely. If Snow White continues to underperform, we might see changes in how studios approach remakes of classic stories.
The film doesn’t face direct competition until Warner Bros. releases A Minecraft Movie on April 4, so it has some time to find its audience if word-of-mouth improves.
What Conservatives Can Do
If you want to see more family-friendly movies that respect classic stories, you have power as a viewer:
- Support movies that align with your values by buying tickets.
- Skip movies that don’t, and tell others why you’re skipping them.
- Share your honest reviews online after watching movies.
- Follow movie critics who share your values for good recommendations. Personally, I follow conservative Cuban-American journalist Giancarlo Sopo; a film buff. He often posts about cinema in relation to conservatism. On Friday, he posted about a different Disney sequel in the works:
Coco is the greatest Disney film of the 21st century. Sequels are hard to pull off—especially when the original is this special. I hope they get it right. https://t.co/7juuyyV87w
— Giancarlo Sopo (@GiancarloSopo) March 21, 2025
By voting with your wallet, you send a clear message about what kinds of stories you want to see on the big screen.
Bottom Line
The poor performance of Snow White shows that Hollywood might be out of touch with what regular families want. When studios and stars appear to mock the source material that generations have loved, audiences notice and respond accordingly.
This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
