The mood was grim Sunday on the Disney lot as Snow White opened behind expectations to just $43 million domestically. Globally, the live-action remake of the iconic 1937 film was expected to clear $100 million, but instead came in at $87.3 million. (Final weekend numbers will arrive later Monday.)
While those hauls wouldn’t normally spell disaster for a female-targeted pic, Snow White has found itself in potential bomb territory because of its hefty production budget of $270 million before another $100 million or so in marketing costs.
Based on initial ticket sales and mixed word-of-mouth, Snow White may have trouble getting to $300 million or $400 million globally, well short of a box-office safety net of $500 million or more, several rival studios execs and box office pundits tell THR. (Consider that 2019’s Dumbo, which debuted to $45 million domestically, topped out at $353 million against a $170 million budget).
Disney supporters would say if anyone is capable of pulling off a fairy-tale ending, it’s them. Case-in-point: over Christmas 2024, many in the media immediately wrote off Mufasa: The Lion King when it opened to $35.4 million domestically. The live-action pic did seven times its opening number, a rare feat, to top out at nearly $718 million globally. Elemental was another movie that Disney rescued post-release with a five-time multiple before it became a streaming sensation.
The big difference: those two films weren’t dogged by underwhelming reviews and so-so exit scores. 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.
Snow White also had to contend with headlines related to Rachel Zegler, the young lead actress not afraid to speak her mind, even if it meant taking on President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement. Far-right conservatives have labeled the film “Snow Woke,” and sprang into action by disliking trailers and other advertising materials, along with calling for a boycott of the film after Zegler criticized the President’s deportation policies. Several days later, she apologized for the tone of the post.
But data shows the average moviegoers may be paying far less attention to the political dynamics than social media and news headlines would suggest.
According to a poll conducted by Steve Buck’s research firm EnTelligence, 63 percent of ticket sales for family and animated films generally come from blue states, while 37 percent come from cinemas in red states. In the case of Snow White, it over indexed in red states at 40 percent.
The pattern for general audience followed the same trajectory. Cinemas in blue states generally account for 67 percent of all ticket sales, while red states account for 33 percent. In the case of Snow White, blue states came in behind the norm at 60 percent of all sales, while red states accounted for 40 percent.
“In spite of prerelease concerns of a boycott in red leaning districts, there is no evidence to support that occurred,” says EnTelligence founder Buck.
Though Snow White landed a rare B+ CinemaScore, on the plus side, female moviegoers and moviegoers under the age of 18 gave it an A- CinemaScore. And parents and kids polled by market leader PostTrack gave the film four out of five stars, compared to three out of five stars among general audiences. However, only 50 percent of kids said they would tell their friends to see the film right away.
Snow White‘s budget steadily rose because of strict Covid protocols, 2023’s labor strikes and a fire on set. (One source says the pic was originally greenlight at between $200 million and $210 million). There were also creative concerns that required additional work. Snow White was made by the previous regime at Disney’s live-action studio, which is now led David Greenbaum, who suggested certain tweaks when taking the job a year ago.
The world has changed dramatically since Disney decided to make a live-action Snow White, which seemed like a safe bet considering the success 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 against a must more modest budget of $90 million; Maleficent launched to $69 million in May 2014 (the sequel, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, stalled at $37 million).
Comscore chief box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian acknowledges that given its hefty budget, Snow White didn’t get off to an ideal start. He says its fate in terms of profitability will depend on “its long-term playability in theaters, eventual streaming, merchandising, music revenue plus theme park tie-ins.”
