Disney’s new live-action Snow White film had a soft box office opening this weekend with just $43 million in ticket sales amid criticism that it’s too “woke.” But analysts told Newsweek that’s just one factor for its disappointing opening.

Newsweek reached out to Disney for comment via email.

Why It Matters

The remake of the 1937 film found itself at the center of the ongoing culture war about the direction of the film industry, with critics saying remarks made by lead actress Rachel Zegler, as well as some of the creative changes taken to modernize the story, make the film too “woke.”

What to Know

The film, starring Zegler as Snow White and Gal Gadot as the evil queen, faced criticism on several fronts prior to its theater debut.

Conservatives slammed the film for being too “woke” or too “feminist,” pointing to remarks from Zegler that “it’s no longer 1973” and that Snow White is “not going to be dreaming about true love,” but the “leader she knows she can be” in a 2022 interview with Variety. Some critics also argued Zegler, who is of Columbian descent, should not have been cast for the role of Snow White.

Zegler also faced scrutiny over her comments about President Donald Trump after his victory in last year’s presidential race, including writing in an Instagram post, “May Trump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace.”

The use of CGI for the seven dwarves also stirred criticism; others took issue with the casting of Gal Gadot, who previously served in the Israeli army (prior to its latest conflict with Hamas).

Actress Rachel Zegler attends the world premiere of “Snow White” in Los Angeles, California on March 15, 2025. Actress Rachel Zegler attends the world premiere of “Snow White” in Los Angeles, California on March 15, 2025. Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic via Getty Images

These politically-charged issues played a role in the film’s underperformance, but are only a small piece of that puzzle, Daniel Loria senior vice president of content strategy & editorial director at the Boxoffice Company, told Newsweek.

“I think it’s part of a number of factors that didn’t let the film break out,” he said.

He said a remake of any 88-year-old property would have “natural challenges,” and that Disney’s decision to “take the foot off the gas in marketing” over the last few weeks the film has been underdiscussed as a reason for the film’s low box office numbers.

A later ticket presale period and the decision not to have press at the premiere events delayed and muted discussion of the film.

“You didn’t really see a full-on marketing push in the way the studio gives a lot of family titles. I think that’s a huge impact, especially for families that might be traveling on spring break,” he said.

David A. Gross, who runs movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, told Newsweek that re-casting a classic story has a “counterfeit quality” picked up on by audiences, but that has more to do with the movie not “connecting on the level of a big Disney hit” than whether it’s too woke.

“I think this was a creative choice that looked like it might add something, but it isn’t,” he said.

Jeff Bock,a senior analyst with Hollywood data firm Exhibitor Relations Co., told Newsweek the “subpar reviews” and “years of negative press” are to blame for its poor showing.

The story itself just doesn’t resonate with viewers these days, he said.

“Snow White hasn’t exactly aged well. The story itself is a bit outdated and certainly doesn’t have the hero factor of, say, Moana or Frozen. These are the types of Disney stories that current audiences gravitate towards. Snow White‘s expiration date was decades ago, unfortunately,” he said.

‘Depressed’ Moviegoing Business Played a Role

The overall state of the film industry is also a key factor, Loria said. The movie market has been depressed throughout the first few months of 2025 after the “Christmas corridor,” Loria said, noting that the first quarter of the year is on track to be the worst first quarter in 25 years because there have only been a handful of major films have been released so far this year.

“If you look at trends and cycles in moviegoing, moviegoing begets moviegoing,” he said. “It’s the sort of the situation when you go to the movies, there’s a big movie, and you’re exposed to trailers, you’re exposed to marketing material, you get sort of in the groove, and that helps frequency. It’s hard to will that out of nothing.”

Inside Out 2 is a recent example of a film that was able to bring people out to the theaters who haven’t been in a while, he said.

Similar movies, such as the 2019 Dumbo remake, performed about the same at the box office, Loria said.

Loria also noted that Snow White sold a lower percentage of premium tickets than other recent movies—only about a third, compared to an average of 40 percent.

‘Snow White’ Could Still ‘Find Its Audience’

The audience of family-tailored movies don’t always turn out opening weekend, Loria said, pointing to 2024’s Mufasa as an example of a film that didn’t necessarily perform well opening week with only $35 million but went on to “find its audience” later on.

Snow White could be a similar scenario, he said.

“Family audiences aren’t an opening weekend crowd consistently. Family audiences, they’re either traveling or a kid gets sick. Family audiences will show up within the first month; in three to five weeks is the window to gauge family films.”

A key difference is that Disney’s “no press response” to the criticism has turned week two of Snow White into a question mark.

Gross also said the film’s success will depend on whether it will receive the “babysitter effect” and performs well for a few months like Mufasa.

“Disney knows how to support their films and this is a good corridor. A 3x to 4x multiple from here would be a respectable number (that is, if the film finishes with 3x to 4x the domestic opening weekend),” he said.

Gross also noted that Disney will have the opportunity to profit from Snow White by digital sales, premium rentals, streaming and merchandise in their theme parks.

Live Action Fatigue? Only Time Will Tell

The film’s underperformance may have less to do with fatigue with live-action remakes of classic films, which Disney has increasingly relied on in recent years.

The performance of Disney’s remake of Lilo & Stitch, set to premiere on May 23, will be a better sign into whether these remakes are still performing well, as the film’s trailer is doing well online and it had a Super Bowl peak.

Bock predicted Lilo & Stitch will prove that viewers can still be interested in live-action remakes.

“Fatigue isn’t a factor, as we’ll soon see when Lilo & Stitch overwhelms theatergoers this summer. It’s more about the right project that appeals to the multiplex masses. Snow White has aged out, while Lilo & Stitch, like Moana, are just hitting their cinematic stride.”

What People Are Saying

Shawn Robbins, founder and owner of Box Office Theory, told Newsweek: “I imagine the film will bring out some families in the weeks ahead as exit polls from family audiences aren’t as negative as the other discourse surrounding the film. It will face some competition from Minecraft but otherwise will have spring break in major markets and no additional direct competition until late May.”

Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, told Newsweek: “Snow White as a PG rated family film still had baked in appeal for kids and families looking for a new Disney movie to enjoy at the multiplex, but no question a bit of live action re-make fatigue coupled with the negative impact the politically charged controversy had on marketing efforts plus mixed reviews offered up a whole unwanted set of challenges for the film

What Happens Next

How Snow White performs over the coming weeks, and whether its numbers will rebound, fall or hold steady, is yet to be seen.