Rachel Zegler’s Snow White: Disney’s Mother’s Day Gamble Fails to Salvage a $270M Disaster

Disney’s live-action Snow White, released on March 21, 2025, was envisioned as a crown jewel in the studio’s remake empire, a modern retelling of the 1937 classic that launched its animated legacy. Starring Rachel Zegler as the titular princess and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, the $270 million production promised a bold, feminist spin on the fairy tale. Instead, it has become a cautionary tale of hubris, controversy, and box office calamity, with its latest attempt at revival—a Mother’s Day re-release on May 11, 2025—falling flat. Despite Disney’s desperate efforts to reposition the film as a family-friendly celebration of maternal bonds, Snow White continues to hemorrhage money, grossing just $70 million domestically against projections of a $115 million loss. With Zegler’s polarizing comments, a rumored feud with Gadot, and a fanbase divided over the film’s “woke” reimagining, this fairy tale has turned into a nightmare. What went wrong, and why can’t Disney save its poisoned apple? Let’s dive into the saga.

A Mother’s Day Misstep

Disney’s decision to re-release Snow White for Mother’s Day was a calculated bid to salvage the film’s dismal performance. The strategy leaned on the holiday’s emotional resonance, marketing the movie as a heartwarming tale of Snow White’s strength and her connection to her late mother’s legacy. Trailers emphasized Zegler’s performance of “Waiting on a Wish,” a new feminist anthem replacing the iconic “Someday My Prince Will Come,” and highlighted scenes of Snow White’s courage against the Evil Queen. X posts, like one from @OtisTrnr101, noted Disney’s push to “re-release Rachel Zegler Snow White back into theaters” for the holiday, with discounted family tickets and special screenings aimed at mothers and daughters.

Yet, the gambit failed spectacularly. Box office reports show Snow White earned a mere $2 million domestically over the Mother’s Day weekend, with theater chains reporting empty seats even at discounted prices. The global tally, stuck at $145.6 million, is a far cry from the $1 billion Disney hoped for to offset the film’s $350 million production and marketing costs. Critics on X, such as @MrRomyRome, dubbed the re-release “Disney’s insufferable box office meltdown,” while fans mocked the sparse attendance, with viral photos of Zegler watching the film in a near-empty theater on Discount Tuesday circulating widely. The Mother’s Day push, far from reviving the film, has only deepened the narrative of failure.

The Zegler Factor: Controversy’s Lightning Rod

At the heart of Snow White’s woes is Rachel Zegler, the 23-year-old star whose outspokenness has made her both a scapegoat and an icon. Zegler, a Colombian-Polish actress known for West Side Story, faced backlash from the moment her casting was announced in 2021. Traditionalists decried a Latina playing a character described as having “skin as white as snow,” with racist comments flooding social media. Zegler’s response—calling critics “losers obsessed with a cartoon princess’s bloodline purity”—set the tone for her defiant approach. Her 2022 comments criticizing the original 1937 film as “weird” and “sexist,” particularly its focus on a “stalker” prince, further alienated fans who cherished the classic.

Zegler’s political activism added fuel to the fire. Her August 2024 X post, “and always remember, free palestine,” posted alongside Snow White trailer hype, sparked a backlash from pro-Israel groups, with some, like @StopAntisemitism, calling for boycotts. The post, which garnered 8.8 million views, reportedly led to death threats against Gadot, an Israeli actress and former IDF soldier, prompting Disney to hire additional security. Zegler’s refusal to delete the post, despite producer Marc Platt’s intervention, cemented her reputation as a liability, with Disney insiders telling Variety, “She didn’t understand the repercussions of her actions.” Her post-election Instagram rant, including “Fuck Donald Trump” and wishing Trump supporters “never know peace,” further alienated conservative audiences, prompting Disney to hire a “social media guru” to vet her posts.

A Rumored Feud and Studio Mismanagement

The rumored feud between Zegler and Gadot has also cast a shadow over Snow White. While sources claim the actresses got along during filming in 2022, tensions arose during the press tour. Their differing views on the Israel-Palestine conflict—Zegler’s pro-Palestine stance versus Gadot’s support for Israeli hostages—created an awkward dynamic. At the scaled-down March 15 premiere at El Capitan Theatre, Zegler and Gadot were seated two rows apart, and Gadot skipped the European premiere in Segovia, Spain, where Zegler performed solo for 100 VIPs. Zegler’s Instagram reply calling Gadot a “professional pageant queen” was seen as a slight, fueling speculation of bad blood.

Disney’s handling of the situation exacerbated the drama. Anticipating an “anti-woke” backlash, the studio minimized press access, opting for a photo-only premiere and tightly controlled events. This move, meant to shield Zegler, backfired, with actor Martin Klebba, who voices Grumpy, slamming Disney for denying the cast a proper red carpet. The studio’s marketing was equally lackluster, with theater owners describing it as “bashful” and ticket sales lagging until days before release. Disney’s quarterly earnings report in May 2025 confirmed Snow White as a flop, alongside Captain America: Brave New World, admitting a nine-figure loss.

A “Woke” Remake’s Miscalculations

The film itself has drawn criticism for its creative choices. Directed by Marc Webb, Snow White reimagines the princess as a leader dreaming of power rather than true love, replacing the prince’s kiss with a narrative of self-empowerment. The iconic dwarfs were swapped for CGI “magical creatures” after Peter Dinklage criticized the original’s portrayal, a decision that alienated actors with dwarfism and left audiences unsettled by the uncanny CGI. Reviews were scathing, with a 40% Rotten Tomatoes score and The Observer calling it “toe-curlingly terrible.” Fans lamented the muted color palette and lack of the original’s vibrant charm, with X posts like @amuse decrying the “destruction of the classic fairytale.”

The “woke” label, amplified by Zegler’s comments and the film’s feminist reimagining, turned Snow White into a culture war battleground. Mothers on Mumsnet defended the original’s romantic themes, arguing there’s “nothing wrong with dreaming of marriage,” while critics like @CosyWithAngie on TikTok called Zegler’s critique of Disney princesses “pseudo-feminism.” The backlash wasn’t just ideological—fans felt the remake strayed too far from the nostalgia that drives Disney’s live-action success, a sentiment echoed by critic Victoria Luxford, who noted that trashing the original was a “puzzling” marketing misstep.

Zegler: Scapegoat or Saboteur?

Disney insiders have pinned much of the blame on Zegler, with sources telling Page Six the studio “doesn’t know what to do” with her. Producer Marc Platt’s son, Jonah, publicly blasted Zegler as “narcissistic” and “immature” for dragging politics into the film’s promotion, claiming her actions “clearly hurt the box office.” Yet, Vanity Fair argues that Disney’s scapegoating has backfired, with fans trending Zegler’s name in support of her courage as a young Latina actress facing a toxic pile-on. Film critic Kelechi Ehenulo called her a victim of “culture wars,” noting that actors from underrepresented backgrounds often become targets.

Zegler’s defenders highlight her professionalism and talent, with reviews praising her “luminous” performance despite the film’s flaws. Her next projects—a West End production of Evita and an indie drama with Marisa Tomei—suggest a career undeterred, though Evita ticket sales are reportedly lagging. Meanwhile, Disney’s broader remake strategy is under scrutiny, with the Tangled live-action project paused in the wake of Snow White’s failure.

The Road Ahead

Snow White’s Mother’s Day flop marks a low point for Disney, which now faces tough questions about its live-action remakes and star management. The film’s $115 million projected loss is a stark reminder that nostalgia alone can’t guarantee success, especially when mired in controversy. Zegler, for better or worse, remains a lightning rod, her every move dissected in a polarized cultural landscape. Whether she emerges as a trailblazer or a cautionary tale, her Snow White saga has exposed the fault lines in Hollywood’s fairy tale machine.

As Disney licks its wounds, the industry watches closely. Can the studio learn from this debacle, or will it double down on remakes that risk alienating fans? For now, Snow White’s empty theaters tell a story of ambition gone awry—a fairy tale where the magic mirror reflects not glory, but a hard lesson in hubris.