Here we are again, folks, checking in on the absolute disaster that is Disney’s live-action Snow White remake. We really hadn’t been paying much attention, but Disney, in a desperate attempt to make this film less of a financial disaster, managed to double humiliate themselves. That’s right, they issued a re-release of the Snow White debacle for Mother’s Day and launched a big advertising campaign around taking your mom to see it. You won’t believe how much money they made: $50.
Yes, you read that right. The Snow White re-release film averaged $50 per movie theater, which is less than four tickets sold. It’s a release result so dreadful it evokes memories of Sony’s ill-fated Morbiius re-release. Some reports even put the average per screen at a pitiful $250. This second coming of Snow White was an even bigger disaster than the original run, unleashed on over 1,000 cinemas across the United States.
This remake has reportedly cost Disney an estimated $115 million. A significant chunk of that cost seems to have been eaten up by the bizarre decision to have the star, Rachel Zegler, act opposite CGI Dwarves straight from the uncanny valley.
The studio will likely claw back some cash when Snow White hits video streaming this month, which makes putting it back in cinemas just two months after audiences already rejected it completely illogical. It feels like wishful thinking and a complete misread of market conditions. Disney’s logic behind the re-release remains unclear, speculated perhaps as a misguided test balloon for political awards campaigning or a last-ditch effort to boost streaming hype. Whatever the reason, it backfired spectacularly.
Hollywood doesn’t always have clear-eyed thinking. In the case of Snow White, common sense dictated the beloved animated classic should have been left alone. Re-releases have been good news for the industry recently; look at the 20-year-old Star Wars movie, Revenge of the Sith, which blitzed its way to $25 million in its reopening weekend. Unlike successful re-releases of legacy films like Revenge of the Sith and The Lion King, which benefited from enduring popularity, Snow White was already tainted by controversy, lackluster storytelling, and the stench of its political baggage.
The film’s original release already stumbled hard, laden with controversy from the start. Much of this stemmed from Rachel Zegler herself, whose repeated public criticism of the original 1937 film – calling it weird, creepy, and outdated – drew widespread backlash. This, combined with what was seen as political posturing and significant rewrites to the beloved fairy tale, hurt the film. Many, including us, believe Zegler is the reason the film flopped. While appetite for the film might not have been huge anyway, we think it had a fair shot at least breaking even.
Zegler made headlines earlier this year with her staunch pro-Palestine views. Things later spiraled when the son of a producer reportedly called her a narcissist and blamed her for the box office flop, claiming she forced his dad to travel across the country to confront her. There are hints of a possible feud within the Platt family – Mark Platt is a Snow White producer – after his son Ben Platt reportedly diverted from his family’s pro-Israel position and shared posts supporting Palestinian perspectives. We’ve even seen social media interaction between Zegler and Ben Platt, including her publicly supporting him after his dog passed away. The commentary around certain pro-Palestine viewpoints expressed by some in Hollywood, particularly those who identify as Jewish but criticize Israel, has been described as cringe and out of touch.
Frankly, nobody cares about multi-millionaire Hollywood people cheering for policies or causes in other countries. If they care so much, they should go fight in the conflict themselves.
The fact is, the Snow White remake will now be remembered for taking not once, but twice. That’s an achievement no studio should be proud of. As for Rachel Zegler, she’s done in Hollywood, mark our words. She’s going to fade into obscurity. She can sing, sure, that’s fair to say. But we don’t think anyone wants the baggage that comes with her, and honestly, who can blame them?
