In a twist that has set the internet ablaze, Rachel Zegler, the star of Disney’s live-action Snow White, reportedly lost her cool online after the film was allegedly pulled from theaters just weeks after its March 21, 2025 release. The $270 million remake, already battered by controversy and a dismal box office run, has now become the epicenter of a social media storm, with Zegler’s reaction amplifying the chaos. From casting backlash to political firestorms, the Snow White saga has been anything but a fairy tale—and this latest chapter might be its most dramatic yet. What happened, and why has Zegler’s outburst captured everyone’s attention? Let’s unpack the madness.

A Rocky Road to the Big Screen

Disney’s live-action Snow White was doomed to be divisive from the moment Rachel Zegler, a Latina actress of Colombian and Polish descent, was cast as the iconic princess in 2021. The original 1937 animated film described Snow White as having “skin white as snow,” and Zegler’s casting sparked immediate outrage among some fans who accused Disney of straying too far from the source material. The backlash only grew when Zegler, in a 2022 interview at Disney’s D23 Expo, called the original’s love story “weird” and its prince a “stalker,” promising a modern take focused on empowerment rather than romance. Her comments went viral in 2023, drawing ire from traditionalists who felt she was disrespecting a beloved classic.

The film faced additional hurdles during production. COVID delays, costly reshoots, and the 2023 Hollywood strikes pushed its release from 2024 to March 2025. Then came the casting of the Seven Dwarfs—or rather, the lack thereof. Disney opted for CGI characters instead of hiring actors with dwarfism, a move criticized by stars like Peter Dinklage and Jason Acuna as hypocritical given the studio’s progressive posturing. By the time Snow White hit theaters, it was already a lightning rod for debate, with a Rotten Tomatoes score hovering at 42% and an IMDb rating of just 1.6/10, fueled in part by review-bombing from detractors.

Box Office Bomb and Theater Exit

When Snow White finally premiered, the numbers told a grim story. The film opened to a mere $43 million domestically and $87 million worldwide—peanuts compared to its $270 million budget, not including marketing costs. By its second weekend, it had plummeted to $14.2 million in the U.S., a 66% drop, and a global total of $143.1 million. Industry insiders projected a final worldwide gross of around $225 million, leaving Disney with an estimated $115 million loss after ancillaries like streaming and home entertainment. For context, 2019’s Dumbo, another live-action remake, grossed $115 million domestically alone on a $170 million budget, making Snow White’s performance a historic flop.

By early April 2025, reports surfaced that Disney had begun pulling Snow White from theaters nationwide, a rare move for a major studio film so soon after release. While no official statement confirmed a full withdrawal as of April 5, 2025, theater chains reported dwindling showtimes, with some locations dropping it entirely. Social media posts on X showed near-empty screenings, and critics jokingly suggested starting a GoFundMe to recoup Disney’s losses. The film’s rapid exit fueled speculation that the studio was cutting its losses rather than prolonging the embarrassment of a high-profile failure.

Zegler’s Online Breakdown

Enter Rachel Zegler, whose reaction to this latest blow has turned heads. On April 5, 2025—the same day YouTube channels like “Teatime with Teana” posted videos titled “Rachel Zegler COMPLETELY LOSES IT ONLINE After Snow White Gets REMOVED From Theaters?!”—Zegler allegedly took to social media in a frenzy. While exact posts remain unverified (and some X users exaggerate for effect), sources claim she unleashed a tirade of frustration, lashing out at critics, Disney, and the audience for rejecting her vision of Snow White. Posts on X from users like @darkcursse164 hinted that her outburst was tied to the film’s removal, with one writing, “Might have something to do with the comments she made after Snow White released that basically fucked that movie’s box office income.”

This wasn’t Zegler’s first brush with online controversy. Her pro-Palestine tweet in August 2024, posted in the same thread as a Snow White trailer promotion, had already sparked a firestorm, reportedly leading to death threats against co-star Gal Gadot, an Israeli actress and former IDF soldier. Disney beefed up Gadot’s security and hired a social media “guru” to vet Zegler’s posts, but the damage was done. Her post-election rants—”Fuck Donald Trump” and “May Trump supporters never know peace”—further alienated conservative viewers, with insiders telling Variety that Disney feared she was “signaling to half the potential audience” to stay away. Now, with Snow White off screens, Zegler’s alleged meltdown has reignited the culture war surrounding the film.

The Internet Explodes

Zegler’s reported outburst sent X into overdrive. @GaMtnChief gloated, “Disney just doesn’t get it. Go Woke go Broke! And that insufferable, untalented egomaniac Zegler is nothing but a spoiled brat,” linking to a YouTube video. @archiekins29 sarcastically congratulated her for “breaking the record for the lowest opening screen gross,” while @YellowFlashGuy claimed she was “FIRED from Hollywood” and that Snow White “KILLED her career.” Others, like @TheFabBookLover, called her theater visit with friends “delusional” and likened it to “serial killer vibes.” The sentiment on X leaned heavily anti-Zegler, with “Go woke, go broke” becoming a rallying cry.

Yet not everyone piled on. Some fans and industry peers defended her. Melissa Barrera, fired from Scream 7 for her own pro-Palestine stance, had previously called Zegler “cool as hell and full of integrity” in response to a Variety piece critics dubbed a “hit job.” Journalist Mark Harris accused Disney of scapegoating Zegler for the film’s failure, writing on Bluesky that the studio’s blame game was “astonishingly graceless.” Over 50 journalists signed an open letter condemning the narrative, and stars like Ariana Grande and Lucy Liu voiced support. Still, the online mob seemed more interested in dunking on Zegler than dissecting the film’s broader issues.

What Really Went Wrong?

Was Zegler’s behavior the sole reason Snow White tanked, or is the story more complicated? The film’s troubles predate her latest outburst. Production woes, a muted marketing campaign (advance ticket sales opened just two weeks before release, per The Hollywood Reporter), and a polarized cultural climate all played a role. Disney scaled back premieres—skipping the U.K. entirely and limiting press at the L.A. event—suggesting a lack of confidence. The decision to reimagine the Dwarfs as CGI “magical creatures” and shift the story away from romance alienated fans who cherished the original’s simplicity, while Zegler’s casting and comments became convenient lightning rods for outrage.

Box office trends also point to remake fatigue. Disney’s live-action hits like The Lion King ($1.6 billion) and Beauty and the Beast ($1.2 billion) came earlier in the cycle, while recent efforts like Mufasa ($718 million) and The Little Mermaid ($570 million) suggest diminishing returns. Snow White, tied to an 88-year-old property, may have felt too dated to justify its existence, especially with a modern twist that didn’t fully land. Critics praised Zegler’s performance—CBR called her a “shining supernova”—but slammed the script and execution, leaving the film stuck between honoring tradition and chasing relevance.

Zegler’s Future and Disney’s Dilemma

So, where does this leave Rachel Zegler? At 23, she’s a Golden Globe winner (West Side Story) with a promising career, but Snow White has undeniably bruised her reputation. Her next gig, a West End production of Evita, offers a chance to pivot to theater, where her vocal talent first shone. Hollywood’s memory is short, and with support from peers, she’s unlikely to be “fired” as clickbait suggests. Still, the backlash may make studios hesitant to cast her in polarizing projects anytime soon.

For Disney, Snow White is a cautionary tale. The studio’s live-action slate continues with Lilo & Stitch (May 2025) and Moana (July 2026), but the Tangled cancellation—linked to Snow White’s flop—hints at a rethink. New live-action head Daria Cercek faces pressure to balance nostalgia with innovation, a tightrope Disney keeps stumbling on. As for Snow White, its early theater exit and Zegler’s meltdown mark the end of a rocky reign—one that’s left fans, critics, and the internet buzzing for all the wrong reasons.