Disney’s live-action Snow White, released on March 15, 2025, was pitched as a bold reimagining of the studio’s 1937 classic—a $270 million fairy tale starring Rachel Zegler as the princess and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, blending nostalgia with modern flair. Instead, it has imploded into one of Disney’s most humiliating failures, opening to a dismal $87 million worldwide and cratering with a 53% second-week drop, projecting a sub-$200 million global haul against an $800–850 million break-even point. Now, as of March 30, 2025, the House of Mouse has reportedly turned on Zegler, slamming the 23-year-old as the “woke” culprit behind the flop in a rare public rebuke. Fans, critics, and insiders are clashing over the blame—did Disney really throw its star under the bus, or is this a desperate deflection? Let’s dive into the wreckage, pulling from web chatter and objective analysis to unpack this explosive fallout.
The Snow White disaster brewed over years. Zegler’s 2021 casting as a Latina Snow White sparked racist backlash—met with her fierce resolve—and her 2022 Extra TV comments, trashing the original prince as a “stalker” and the 1937 film as “weird,” alienated purists. Production stumbled: a set fire, COVID delays, and a scrapped CGI “magical creatures” plan for the dwarves (reversed after Peter Dinklage’s outcry) signaled chaos. The August 2024 trailer hit 120 million views, but Zegler’s X post—“and always remember, free Palestine”—clashed with Gadot’s pro-Israel stance, thrusting the film into a geopolitical storm. Disney downsized the premiere to a press-free Spanish castle event, bracing for impact.
The box office numbers were a bloodbath. Opening to $43 million domestically—half The Little Mermaid’s $95.5 million—the film tanked with a 41% Rotten Tomatoes score. Critics panned Gadot’s “flat” Evil Queen (Variety) and a “muddled” script (Vulture), while Zegler’s vibrant Snow White split opinion. Her November 2024 Instagram rant—“F*** Donald Trump” and “May Trump supporters never know peace,” post-Trump’s re-election—hit hard, alienating 37% of family filmgoers (per EnTelligence) in red states. The “woke” label—Latina lead, feminist slant, no prince—fueled boycotts, and by March 28, Friday earnings sank to $3.7 million, trailing a Chosen re-release. Losses could hit $250–300 million, rivaling The Lone Ranger’s $200 million flop.
Disney’s slam came subtly but cut deep. CEO Bob Iger’s Q1 earnings call on March 28 sidestepped Snow White, hyping Zootopia 2 and Moana 2—a damning pivot. Insiders leaked the real bombshell to Variety’s March 29 “Disney Blames Zegler” piece: execs called her “erratic” and “divisive,” pinning the flop on her political outbursts and “woke” persona. Producer Marc Platt’s son Jonah had already vented on Instagram (deleted), blaming her “immature” Palestine post—Disney brass echoed it, per Puck, with one anonymous suit snarling, “She shouldn’t be Snow White.” X posts erupted—@EndWokeness crowed, “Disney SLAMS Rachel Zegler—woke actress ruined a $270m film,” while @BoxOfficeBuzz ran, “Disney finally admits Zegler’s the problem.”
The internet ignited. YouTube’s Teatime with Teana dropped “Disney Blames Rachel Zegler for Snow White FLOP,” hitting 1.2 million views, amplifying claims her Trump rant and Palestine stance tanked ticket sales. X trended “Disney Slams Zegler” with @TheMagaHulk gloating, “Woke princess got what she deserved.” Zegler’s fans fought back—@ZeglerStan88 raged, “Disney’s scapegoating Rachel—cowards won’t own their mess,” and @SnowWhiteTruth tweeted, “Gal Gadot’s trash acting flopped it, not Rachel.” Google Trends spiked “Rachel Zegler Disney” as stan armies clashed—r/RachelZegler’s u/FuryFan22 wrote, “They’re punishing her for speaking out—sexist BS.”
Did Disney really “slam” her? The earnings call dodge was deafening—Iger’s “quality first” mantra skipped the carnage—but the Variety leak, sourced to “senior execs,” lands like a gut punch. No press release named Zegler, unlike Gina Carano’s 2021 Mandalorian firing, but the whisper campaign—echoing Jonah Platt’s “she cost us millions”—feels deliberate. Her Palestine post spiked Gadot’s security costs (Variety), and her Trump tirade hit post-election—Disney’s red-state losses stung, per Forbes’ $340 million break-even miss. X’s @FilmOracle mused, “They’re letting her twist—Gadot’s unscathed ‘cause she’s polished.”
Zegler’s “woke” tag is the crux. Her casting and feminist Snow White—pitched as a leader, not a damsel—won progressive cheers but drew “DEI disaster” barbs. The Marvels ($206 million on $270 million) and Mufasa’s lukewarm buzz show Disney reeling from “woke fatigue”—Snow White’s boycott by pro-Israel and Trump fans (X’s @IsraelFirstUSA, @MagaMom77) doubled the hit. Critics argue she misread the room—family films need broad appeal, not X flame wars. Yet, her 67% audience score (Rotten Tomatoes) tops Gadot’s 41%, suggesting she wasn’t the sole repellant. @DavidEhrlich tweeted, “Rachel Zegler RULES—Disney’s blaming the wrong star.”
Gadot’s role muddies the narrative. Her “one-note” Evil Queen flopped hard—Vulture’s “high school play” jab stung—and her Red Notice ($200 million loss) and Wonder Woman 1984 ($169 million on $200 million) hint at fading draw. Her Israel ties sparked boycotts too, but Disney spared her—her Disneyland promo and Variety’s “online hostility” quote got kid gloves. Zegler’s fans on X (@ZeglerWarriorX) screamed double standards: “Gal’s a flop too—why’s Rachel the fall guy?” The script’s mess and remake fatigue—post-Dumbo ($353 million), Pinocchio (Disney+ bomb)—share blame, but Disney zeroed in on Zegler’s volatility.
The backlash split fandom. r/DisneyMovies’ u/ClassicFan88 sighed, “Zegler’s mouth sank it—Disney’s right,” while u/StanTheQueen countered, “They cast her for woke points, then ditched her—hypocrites.” YouTube’s The Cosmic Wonder speculated an MCU lifeline for Zegler, but Snow White’s stench clings—her Hunger Games ($349 million) cred’s her best shot. Disney’s pivot buries the hatchet—Iger’s dodging “woke” flak after The Marvels and Snow White’s combined $400 million bath. X’s @BoxOfficeGuru noted, “They overestimated nostalgia—Zegler’s just the lightning rod.”
Is she the flop’s root? Her politics hurt—Trump and Palestine posts bled red-state dollars, and her 2022 “weird” jab primed the backlash. But Gadot’s stiff Queen, a weak script, and Disney’s misfire—banking on a $270 million reboot in a polarized, post-Mufasa market—dug the grave. The Little Mermaid ($569 million) weathered “woke” gripes; Snow White couldn’t—Zegler’s heat drew focus, but the rot was systemic. Disney’s “slam” reeks of deflection—@FilmAnalystX tweeted, “They’re saving face, not truth.” Losses rival Lone Ranger’s $200 million, but Snow White’s cultural crater—Disney’s first toon, now its ugliest bomb—cuts deeper.
What’s next? Zegler’s silent—her March 25 “life-changing” Instagram skipped Gadot, hinting at defiance. MCU rumors swirl, but Snow White dents her shine—Disney’s not firing her (Yahoo debunked it), just letting her twist. Gadot’s Wonder Woman 3 limbo needs a win; Disney’s Zootopia 2 lifeline sidesteps the mess. The mirror reflects a tale of scapegoating—Zegler’s “woke” fire took the fall for a studio’s folly. In 2025’s Hollywood crucible, this poisoned apple’s split the narrative—Disney slams, fans stan, and the flop’s scars linger. For now, the fairy tale’s dead, and the blame game reigns.
