Trouble is a brewin’ for the controversy-laden Snow White, the live-action remake of the iconic 1937 animated film that put Walt Disney‘s film empire on the map.
The big-budget tentpole opened to $43 million domestically, enough for a first-place finish but behind even the most modest of expectations after getting battered by so-so audience scores and underwhelming reviews. That’s even less than Tim Burton’s Dumbo, which came in at $45 million in 2019. Overseas, Snow White took in $44.3 million for a global launch of $87.3 million after hoping to clear $100 million.
The good news: the $250 million production still had no trouble winning the weekend and will have no competition until Warner Bros.’ kid-friendly A Minecraft Movie opens April 4. Moreover, the female-skewing film is hoping to emulate the pace and tempo of Disney’s Christmas tentpole Mufasa: The Lion King, which debuted to $35 million on its way to sprinting past $700 million globally.
Starring Rachel Zegler in the titular role and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, Snow White had been tracking to open to just north of $50 million, although Disney had been conservative in putting out a range of $45 million and $55 million.
Snow White is the rare Disney live-action remake that earned a B+ CinemaScore from audiences; almost every film has received some variation of an A grade. Still, among moviegoers under the age of 18, the movie received an A- CinemaScore.
Directed by Marc Webb, Snow White arrived in theaters loaded with baggage after being buffeted by delays and controversy, beginning with a backlash over casting Zegler in the titular role because of the color of her skin (she is of Colombian descent). She’s also made no secret of her support for the Palestinian people. Gadot, who is Israeli, has come under scrutiny for her remarks regarding the Gaza conflict.
In terms of other Disney live-action princess remakes, Beauty and the Beast astounded when opening to $174.6 million domestically in mid-March 2017, not adjusted for inflation. In the spring of 2015, Cinderella debuted to $67.9 million domestically; Maleficent launched to $69 million in May 2014 (the sequel, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, stalled at $37 million).
While Snow White is one of the best-known Disney princesses among adults 45 years and older, she is far less known among younger demos — not to mention that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is nearly 90 years old. The animated Beauty and the Beast was released in 1991, and generations of kids grew up watching the film at home. And Cinderella has remained a perennial favorite among Disney princess fans since the animated film hit theaters in 1950.
The weekend was even worse for other movies.
Warner Bros.’ mob movie The Alto Knights bombed in opening to an estimated $3.2 million from 2,651 theaters. It was one of the first movies greenlit by David Zaslav after Warner Bros. Discovery was formed in 2022 and stars Robert De Niro in the dual roles of infamous New York City mob bosses Frank Costello and Vito Genovese. The pic — panned by critics — was directed by Barry Levinson from a script by Nicholas Pileggi.
And actor Jonathan Majors’ hoped-for comeback pic Magazine Dreams only cracked $700,000 in its debut in 815 cinemas. Searchlight shelved the project following Majors’ legal troubles; the 2023 Sundance Film Festival darling was later picked up by Oscar-winning distributor Tom Ortenberg via his Briarcliff Entertainment.
Final weekend numbers will be released Monday morning.
More to come.
March 23, 8:15 a.m.: Updated with revised estimates.
This story was originally published on March 22 at 9:25 a.m.
