Preview night box office collection of Rachel Zegler led Snow White suggest it could be the next Disney’s sleeper hit after Mufasa: The Lion King.

Directed by Marc Webb, Disney’s Snow White was one of the anticipated movies of 2025, and it stars Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, and Andrew Burnap. The movie is a live-action adaptation of the 1937 animated movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Since the announcement of the movie, it has received backlash for casting, story changes, the reimagining of the Seven Dwarfs, and the lead actress’ comments about the original animated movie.

Rachel Zegler as Snow White in Disney’s Snow White | Credits: Disney

Making its way through all the controversies, Snow White was released on March 21, 2025, and opened up to mixed reviews from critics and audiences. Where Zegler’s performance has received praise, Gadot’s performance has received criticism. However, critics believe that the box office collection points towards the movie being a sleeper hit.

Gal Gadot and Rachel Zegler-starrer Snow White opens to $3.5 million on preview screening

The live-action adaptations of Disney’s classic movies have become a trend, as the studios believe that the live-action adaptations showcase realism, authenticity, and human emotions. The latest movie to join the list is Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot‘s starrer Snow White, which is adapted from 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Where studios often choose live-action over animated, fans have always loved the original version of the classic Disney movies. They do not appreciate or even hesitate to voice out their opinion if the original movie is not respected.

This is why when Snow White was announced with Rachel Zegler as the lead, people felt that it wasn’t an apt casting, and above that, her comments about the original animated movie did not support her casting at all.

Rachel Zegler has received praises for her work | Credits: Disney

But the movie, despite all the controversies, was released on March 21, 2025, worldwide, and according to Deadline, it opened to $3.5 million on preview screening. 2019’s Dumbo earned $2.8 million in previews, and Kung Fu Panda 4 earned $3.8 million in previews.

Variety shared that the total production budget of Snow White was $240 million, which makes it one of the most expensive live-action adaptations of all time. 2023’s The Little Mermaid had a total production of $250 million, whereas 2019’s The Lion King had $260 million. Both of these movies went on to be a massive success.

It has been noted that Snow White needs to earn around the $500 million mark to be considered a box-office success. But due to the controversies that surrounded the film till the end moment, it paints pretty dire imagery of its box office collection. But there is a high possibility that Snow White can be a sleeper hit as Mufasa: The Lion King. The film holds a 46% score on Rotten Tomatoes as of now.

Rachel Zegler reveals how she landed Snow White

Actress Rachel Zegler, despite receiving backlash for her casting as Snow White, has been appreciated for her work in Snow White. In an interview with Allure Magazine, she was asked how she ended up playing Snow White, to which she said,

The reality is, I was given a chance because I could sing. They saw something. Something they could invest in for the future.

The actress revealed she sang Waiting on a Wish for her audition. Director Marc Webb shared that Snow White has an optimistic, youthful grace, and even in her darkest moments, she tends to find humanity and beauty in others. He added that according to him, Rachel Zegler has that in her spirit, and it didn’t hurt that during her screen test, she made everyone weep by singing Waiting on a Wish.

Marc Webb says Rachel Zegler has what it takes to be Snow White | Credits: Disney

Webb noted that there are a few people who are more dedicated Disney fans than Zegler, but she’s been to the parks dozens, maybe scores of times. The filmmaker mentioned that she knows Disney princesses backward and forward, and she even knew Hilary Duff and Miley Cyrus videos he had directed back in the day!

The filmmaker shared that in addition to her audition, her passion translated to them, noting that she understood the Disney tone that he wanted to bring. The actress shared during the interview that she only prays that in the future, there will be more diversity and inclusion of talent no matter what they look like.

The makers, along with the cast and crew, are hopeful that their hard work is going to translate on-screen and the audience is going to love the movie. But as of now, the signs only point towards it being yet another sleeper hit for Disney.

Snow White is currently playing in cinemas.