Disney’s live-action Snow White, released on March 21, 2025, was already pegged as a potential misfire, but the latest box office numbers reveal a disaster far worse than anyone anticipated. Starring Rachel Zegler as the reimagined princess and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, the film—helmed by Marc Webb with a staggering $270 million budget—limped to a $43 million domestic opening and a global haul of just $87.3 million, according to Box Office Mojo. Initial projections hovered around $45-55 million domestically, with hopes of a $100 million worldwide debut, but the reality has left Disney reeling. Posts on X and web reports scream, “Snow White Box Office is WORSE Than We Thought,” and the data backs it up: this isn’t just a flop—it’s a humiliating collapse for a studio once invincible at the ticket counter. What went so catastrophically wrong? Let’s dig into the numbers, the backlash, and the fallout.
A Grim Start: The Numbers Tell the Tale
The warning signs were there. Pre-release tracking from Box Office Pro in February 2025 had Snow White pegged at $65-85 million domestically—a respectable, if not stellar, debut for a Disney remake. By early March, those figures slid to $48-58 million (The Hollywood Reporter), reflecting growing unease. Opening day delivered a paltry $16 million, including $3.5 million from Thursday previews, per Variety. The weekend tally settled at $43 million across 4,200 U.S. theaters—below even the low end of revised estimates. Globally, $44.3 million from 51 markets pushed it to $87.3 million (Deadline), a far cry from the $100 million-plus Disney banked on.
Compare that to Disney’s live-action playbook: The Little Mermaid (2023) opened to $95 million domestically, Cinderella (2015) to $67.9 million, and The Lion King (2019) to a colossal $191 million. Even Dumbo (2019), a relative dud at $46 million, outperformed Snow White when adjusted for inflation. With a $270 million production cost—plus marketing pushing the total past $350 million—experts estimate it needs $600-700 million worldwide to break even. At this rate, it’s on track to lose $200-300 million, a debacle worse than anticipated. “Worse than we thought” isn’t hyperbole; it’s math.
Pre-Release Red Flags: A Predictable Plunge
The film’s descent began years ago. Announced in 2016, Snow White faced delays from the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, ballooning costs, and a PR nightmare. Rachel Zegler’s 2021 casting as Snow White—despite her Colombian heritage clashing with the “white as snow” fairy-tale descriptor—ignited a culture war. Her defense (“It’s about a snowstorm, not skin”) didn’t douse the flames, with X posts like “Disney’s woke agenda ruined Snow White” (March 2025) echoing conservative outlets like Daily Wire. Zegler’s 2022 Extra comments—calling the original prince a “stalker” and promising a “leader” Snow White—further alienated fans who cherished the 1937 romance. “Worst Disney move yet,” one X user raged (March 22, 2025).
The dwarfs saga was equally disastrous. After Peter Dinklage’s 2022 critique of their portrayal as stereotypes, Disney pivoted to CGI “magical creatures,” sidelining actors with dwarfism and drawing ire from both sides—job loss complaints and “creepy” VFX critiques (Empire). Add Zegler’s pro-Palestinian X posts clashing with Gadot’s pro-Israel stance, and Snow White became a geopolitical hot potato. Boycotts brewed, and Disney’s response—a muted premiere at Spain’s Alcázar de Segovia—screamed retreat. “They knew it was bad,” an X post crowed (March 23, 2025). The box office crater was less a surprise than a grim inevitability.
On-Screen Mess: Critical and Audience Rejection
The film itself didn’t help. Zegler’s Snow White ditches the prince for a bandit (Andrew Burnap) and a leadership quest, backed by CGI dwarfs and new Pasek-Paul songs. Critics tore it apart: The Guardian’s one-star “exhaustingly awful” review slammed its “pseudo-progressive” knots, while IndieWire called it “uninspired.” The CGI dwarfs—“an unholy VFX disaster” (Empire)—and Gadot’s “thin” Evil Queen (Variety) drew special scorn. A 44% Rotten Tomatoes score reflects the consensus: it’s a soulless cash grab. Audiences gave it a B+ CinemaScore—tepid for Disney’s usual A-range—but theater turnout was dismal. X photos of empty seats captioned “Snow White’s a ghost town” (March 23, 2025) went viral.
The “worse than we thought” verdict hinges on this disconnect. Disney bet on family appeal, but Snow White lacked the nostalgia pull of The Lion King or the fresh dazzle of Beauty and the Beast. Its feminist rewrite felt forced, not fun—28% of attendees were under 13 (EntTelligence), far below Barbie’s crossover draw. “Nobody wanted this,” an X user summed up (March 23, 2025). The film’s failure to ignite word-of-mouth, unlike Mufasa: The Lion King’s $716 million recovery from a $35 million start, seals its doom.
Box Office Context: A Dying Remake Model?
Disney’s live-action remakes once minted gold—Beauty and the Beast ($1.2 billion), Aladdin ($1 billion)—but cracks emerged. Dumbo ($353 million) and Pinocchio (2022 Disney+ flop) hinted at fatigue, and Snow White’s $87.3 million debut is a new low. The Little Mermaid managed $569 million in 2023, but its $95 million opening dwarfed Snow White’s. Web analysts like Forbes (March 21, 2025) call it “a bona fide flop,” with Deadline noting it’s “16% below Cinderella” overseas. Even in blue-state theaters (60% of sales, per EntTelligence), it underperformed expectations, while red states showed no boycott—just apathy.
March 2025’s box office was already bleak—Novocaine led the prior weekend with $8 million (Deadline)—making Snow White’s $43 million a lifeline, yet still a disaster. It’s the second-biggest 2025 opening behind Captain America: Brave New World ($89 million), but that’s faint praise in a year down 7% from 2024 (Comscore). Disney’s 35% share of 2025’s haul masks a grim trend: remakes aren’t the sure bets they were. “Worse than we thought” captures the gap between hope and reality—a $50 million debut was the floor, not the ceiling.
The Fallout: Disney, Zegler, and Beyond
For Disney, this is a gut punch. Snow White’s loss could top The Lone Ranger’s $260 million debacle (2013), with Outkick projecting “hundreds of millions” down the drain. The remake pipeline—Lilo & Stitch (May 2025), Moana (2026)—now faces scrutiny. X sentiment gloats, “Woke Disney’s done” (March 23, 2025), tying it to a broader narrative of MCU and remake fatigue (The Marvels, $206 million). Shareholders may demand a pivot, especially after 2023’s Indiana Jones flop.
Zegler’s star takes a hit. After West Side Story and Shazam! Fury of the Gods underperformed, Snow White was her big break—now a millstone. “She’s box office poison,” an X post sneered (March 23, 2025), though her vocal talent earned rare praise (IGN). Gadot, too, loses sheen—her Queen couldn’t salvage the wreck. Director Webb’s Amazing Spider-Man cred didn’t translate, leaving his future murky.
Why “Worse Than We Thought” Fits
The phrase isn’t just clickbait—it’s a reckoning. Pre-release, a $50 million opening was the pessimistic baseline; $43 million shatters that. Globally, $87.3 million against $350 million spent is a chasm wider than expected. The controversies—casting, dwarfs, politics—were known risks, but the film’s inability to rise above them, coupled with a tepid product, sank it deeper. Mufasa legged out; Snow White won’t. X users crow, “Disney thought they’d snow us—flop of the decade” (March 23, 2025). Hyperbole? Maybe. But the gap between hype and haul stings.
Conclusion: A Fairy Tale Nightmare
“Snow White Box Office is WORSE Than We Thought” encapsulates a flop that’s not just bad—it’s a disaster exceeding the grimmest forecasts. Disney misjudged its audience, botched its marketing, and delivered a film that neither nostalgists nor newcomers embraced. The $43 million debut is a tombstone for a $270 million dream, with losses set to echo through the studio’s ledger. Worse than Dumbo, worse than projected, worse than imagined—this Snow White is a cautionary tale of a giant stumbling in its own enchanted forest. The mirror doesn’t lie: this is a flop for the ages.
