Disney’s live-action Snow White remake continues to face relentless criticism, and its latest teaser trailer, released over the weekend, has only fueled the fire. The newest teaser earned 1.7 million views but was met with overwhelming negativity, garnering only 5,300 likes compared to a staggering 81,000 Snow White dislikes. This trend of massive dislike ratios has plagued every piece of promotional material for the film, signaling a potential box office catastrophe when it hits theaters on March 21, 2025.
The like to dislike ratio on the latest Snow White trailer as of February 17, 2025 – YouTube, Disney
From the start, Snow White has been fighting an uphill battle, and the growing tally of dislikes is proof of the audience’s disapproval. The first teaser trailer, released in mid-2024, remains the most visible with 11 million views. However, its 101,000 likes are dwarfed by an astonishing 1.5 million dislikes. The official trailer, which debuted in December, has racked up 9.3 million views but is weighed down by 1.2 million dislikes against just 44,000 likes. Even the special sneak peek featuring Rachel Zegler’s performance of “Waiting on a Wish” has become a symbol of the film’s failure, amassing 396,000 views, 5,300 likes, and a crushing 50,000 dislikes.
The avalanche of Snow White dislikes stems from a perfect storm of creative missteps, controversial casting choices, and the polarizing behavior of lead actress Rachel Zegler.
Zegler’s dismissive comments about the beloved 1937 animated classic—calling it outdated and misogynistic—immediately alienated Disney’s core fanbase. Her political outbursts, including inflammatory remarks about Donald Trump and his supporters, fueled the fire. Zegler’s infamous declaration, “May Trump and his supporters never know peace,” sparked widespread outrage, forcing her to issue an apology that many viewed as insincere.
Rachel Zegler via Good Morning America YouTube
This pattern of alienation has made Zegler a lightning rod for criticism, contributing heavily to the wave of dislikes across social media platforms.
Disney’s handling of the Seven Dwarfs has also drawn widespread criticism. Initially, the studio planned to cast actors with dwarfism in the iconic roles. However, Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage, who has dwarfism himself, condemned the decision as offensive and outdated. This caused widespread outrage from the dwarf acting community who viewed this as Dinklage, who racks up just about every major Hollywood role for a little person, kicking the ladder down behind him.
In response to Dinklage’s outrage, Disney scrapped the original plan and cast seven diverse actors, only one of whom was a little person. When leaked set photos of this new cast surfaced, fans erupted in backlash, accusing Disney of virtue signaling and erasing opportunities for actors with dwarfism. Bowing to pressure once again, Disney replaced the live-action cast with CGI dwarfs—a move that has been widely ridiculed for its poor visual quality and lack of charm, further fueling the avalanche of Snow White dislikes.
Peter Dinklage via The Graham Norton Show YouTube
Behind the scenes, Snow White has faced a chaotic production process, with multiple reshoots ballooning its budget to a reported $300 million. This astronomical cost means the film must perform exceptionally well at the box office to be profitable—an increasingly unlikely scenario given the growing wave of dislikes and audience apathy.
Box office projections are already sounding the alarm. Industry tracker Quorum forecasts a domestic opening weekend of $63-$70 million, with some estimates landing around $65 million.
While this would mark the highest domestic opening of Zegler’s career—surpassing her $44.6 million debut in The Hunger Games: A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes—it pales in comparison to Disney’s past live-action hits. Films like The Lion King (2019) and Beauty and the Beast (2017) opened to $191.77 million and $174.7 million, respectively, both going on to surpass $1 billion worldwide. Even The Little Mermaid (2023), which opened to $95.6 million domestically and was considered a financial disappointment, grossed $569.6 million globally. The current outlook suggests Snow White won’t even reach that benchmark.
Rachel Zegler as Snow White in Snow White (2025), Walt Disney Studios
While some optimists point to Maleficent (2014) as a hopeful comparison, its $69.4 million opening and $758.5 million worldwide gross were bolstered by Angelina Jolie’s star power—something Snow White severely lacks with the controversial Zegler at the helm. Adding to the concern is Zegler’s recent box office flop, Y2K, which grossed a mere $4.2 million. With Zegler’s reputation tarnished and the film already drowning in dislikes, Disney’s latest remake appears destined for disaster.
As the release date approaches, the onslaught of Snow White dislikes shows no sign of slowing down. Each new trailer is met with harsher criticism and growing disinterest, making it clear that Disney’s Snow White could be headed for one of the most catastrophic box office flops in the studio’s history.
