Disney’s live-action Snow White, released on March 15, 2025, was poised to be a crown jewel in the studio’s storied legacy of remakes—a $270 million spectacle starring Rachel Zegler as the iconic princess and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, blending nostalgia with a modern twist. Instead, it has spiraled into a financial and cultural catastrophe, earning a measly $87 million worldwide on its opening weekend and suffering a staggering drop-off in subsequent weeks, cementing its place as potentially Disney’s biggest box office flop ever. With Zegler at the helm, the film’s failure has sparked intense scrutiny, online outrage, and questions about Disney’s once-unassailable remake formula. But how did this fairy tale turn into a nightmare, and is it truly the studio’s worst disaster? Let’s unpack the saga, weaving in web-sourced data and objective analysis to explore this unprecedented collapse.

The trouble brewed long before the curtains rose. Zegler’s casting in June 2021 as a Latina Snow White—contrasting the “skin as white as snow” of the Brothers Grimm tale—ignited backlash from purists and trolls alike. She clapped back with grit, telling Variety, “I’m going to be a Latina Snow White, and that’s a big deal.” Her vision, unveiled in a 2022 Extra TV interview, recast Snow White as a leader, not a damsel, dismissing the original prince as a “stalker” and the 1937 film as “weird.” Fans of the classic bristled, accusing her of arrogance. Production woes piled on: a set fire, COVID delays, and a scrapped plan to replace the seven dwarves with CGI “magical creatures” (reversed after Peter Dinklage’s outcry) kept Snow White in disarray. By August 2024, the trailer’s 120 million views were overshadowed by Zegler’s X post—“and always remember, free Palestine”—thrusting the film into a geopolitical quagmire and clashing with Gadot’s pro-Israel stance.

Disney tried to contain the chaos. The premiere was downgraded to a press-free event at a Spanish castle, dodging tough questions about Zegler’s politics and the rumored Gadot feud. Opening weekend was a gut punch: $43 million domestically and $87 million globally—half of The Little Mermaid’s $95.5 million debut in 2023, despite a similar $240–270 million budget. Critics savaged it, landing a 41% Rotten Tomatoes score—Variety called Gadot’s Evil Queen “flat,” and the script a “mess.” Audiences fled too, with a 53% second-weekend drop ($20 million domestic by March 22) and a Friday, March 28 haul of just $3.7 million, trailing a Chosen re-release. Projections now peg its global total under $200 million—nowhere near the $800–850 million needed to break even with marketing costs factored in.

Is this Disney’s “biggest flop ever”? The numbers are grim. Adjusted for inflation, 2019’s Dumbo ($45 million opening, $353 million global on $170 million) and 2022’s Pinocchio (straight-to-Disney+ after a $150 million spend) flopped hard, but Snow White’s scale dwarfs them. The Lone Ranger (2013) lost $190–200 million on a $225 million budget, bombing with a $29 million opening—yet Snow White’s steeper drop and higher cost ($270 million plus $100–150 million in marketing) could eclipse it, potentially hemorrhaging $250–300 million. X posts like @BoxOfficeBuzz’s “Disney’s worst bomb EVER” hype the claim, though 1999’s Mars Needs Moms (a $144 million loss on $150 million) holds the per-dollar crown. Still, Snow White’s high-profile collapse stings uniquely in Disney’s remake pantheon.

Zegler’s role is the lightning rod. Her November 2024 Instagram rant—“F*** Donald Trump” and “May Trump supporters never know peace,” post-Trump’s re-election—alienated conservative family audiences (37% of the demo, per EnTelligence), already wary of her Palestine stance and “woke” Snow White. Forbes estimated a $340 million production break-even; her politics likely shaved millions off a shaky haul. X’s @EndWokeness raged, “Rachel Zegler killed Snow White—DEI and arrogance in one,” while @TheMagaHulk pinned the “billion-dollar franchise” ruin on her. Disney insiders, per Variety, fumed—her Palestine post spiked Gadot’s security costs, and producer Marc Platt’s son Jonah publicly blamed her “immature” antics. Yet, the film’s woes run deeper than one star.

Gadot’s “one-note” Evil Queen drew equal flak—Vulture called it “high school theater”—and the script’s feminist pivot pleased neither purists nor progressives. Disney’s live-action fatigue, evident in Dumbo and Mufasa’s middling buzz, compounded the mess. The “woke” label—Latina casting, CGI dwarves, no prince—became a boycott rallying cry on X, with @GrouchyMarine snarling, “Disney’s DEI experiment failed.” Zegler’s outspokenness made her the face of it, but the rot was systemic. As Awardsdaily noted, “She didn’t write this disaster—she was hired to sell it.”

The internet’s reaction was volcanic. YouTube’s Teatime with Teana ran “Rachel Zegler’s Snow White DISASTER—Disney’s Biggest Flop EVER,” hitting 1.8 million views, while X trended “Snow White Flop” with barbs like @rayngls’s “Zegler’s smugness cost $270m.” Fans fought back—@writtenbysara decried a “scapegoat” narrative, and David Ehrlich tweeted, “Rachel Zegler RULES, Disney fumbled.” Her March 25 Instagram—“life-changing,” thanking the crew—ignored the carnage, projecting defiance. Disney pivoted to Zootopia 2 hype in Q1 earnings calls, leaving Snow White to rot—a rare public burial for a studio built on fairy tales.

Was this inevitable? Zegler’s pre-Snow White track record—West Side Story ($76 million on $100 million), Shazam! Fury of the Gods ($134 million on $125 million), Hunger Games: Ballad ($349 million on $100 million)—shows talent but no box office Midas touch. Snow White was her big swing, and it whiffed. Her politics, while principled, clashed with Disney’s broad-appeal ethos—her Palestine and Trump posts hit at peak polarization, post-October 2023 Israel-Palestine flare-ups and Trump’s 2024 win. Gadot’s fans boycotted too, per X’s @IsraelFirstUSA, creating a perfect storm. Yet, Disney’s missteps—casting chemistry, creative drift—share blame. The Little Mermaid weathered “woke” gripes to $569 million; Snow White couldn’t.

The “biggest flop ever” tag sticks for now. Adjusted losses may not top Lone Ranger’s $200 million hole, but the cultural crater is wider—Disney’s first animated hit, remade, now its most public humiliation. Zegler’s not fired (rumors debunked by Yahoo), and MCU whispers hint at a lifeline, but her star’s dimmed—Snow White’s stench clings. Disney’s remake machine, once printing money (Beauty and the Beast, $1.2 billion), sputters in a post-pandemic, polarized market. X’s @BoxOfficeAnalyst mused, “They overestimated nostalgia—people want new, not reboots.”

What’s next? Zegler’s young—Golden Globe in hand, she’ll rebound if she picks wisely. Disney, bleeding cash, faces shareholder ire—CEO Bob Iger’s “focus on quality” mantra rings hollow here. Snow White’s drop-off—a 53% plunge vs. Dumbo’s 40%—marks it as a uniquely reviled misfire. The mirror on the wall reflects a tale of hubris, not just Zegler’s but a studio’s—its “fairest” flop yet, a grim footnote in 2025’s Hollywood ledger. For now, the poisoned apple’s bitten, and no prince can save this one.