The numbers are out, and Disney’s latest live-action gamble has officially faceplanted. The Snow White opening weekend box office stands at a meager $43 million domestically and $87.3 million globally—and not even Variety or The Hollywood Reporter can spin it into a win anymore.
Let’s put this plainly: This isn’t just a stumble. It’s an outright disaster, especially when the film carries a $250 million-plus production budget, not counting its hefty marketing spend. Analysts were once optimistically projecting over $50 million domestic, with even the lowball estimates hovering in the $45–55 million range. But Snow White couldn’t clear the bottom of the barrel.
Rachel Zegler singing the original song “Waiting on a Wish” from Disney‘s Snow White live action remake – YouTube, Disney
Variety still tried to hold the line, weakly proclaiming Snow White as “the fairest of them all” at the box office, but the article noticeably lacked the usual bravado. Instead, the numbers spoke louder than the PR spin—this is the lowest opening ever for one of Disney’s live-action remakes. Yes, even lower than the infamous flop Dumbo, which debuted at $45 million without adjusting for inflation.
Even The Hollywood Reporter, usually a safe haven for Disney-friendly coverage, couldn’t ignore how damning this result is. Their article bluntly admits Snow White opened behind expectations, calling the performance “trouble’” and confirming it lagged behind even Dumbo’s dismal start. No amount of glossy headlines could hide that.
(L-R): Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan, Brie Larson as Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers, and Teyonah Parris as Captain Monica Rambeau in Marvel Studios’ THE MARVELS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.
For context, let’s not forget the much-maligned Marvel film The Marvels, which debuted with a $46 million domestic weekend and $110 million worldwide. That movie was declared dead-on-arrival, triggering endless analysis pieces about franchise fatigue and Disney’s mounting creative issues. Now, Snow White has opened worse, and the media is running out of excuses.
Both outlets attempted to shift the conversation, pointing to potential long-term legs, citing comparisons to Mufasa: The Lion King, which opened soft and legged out strong. But unlike Mufasa, Snow White isn’t launching during the Christmas corridor. There’s no extended holiday runway, and audience enthusiasm clearly isn’t there.
Even the fallback defense—audience scores—rings hollow. A B+ CinemaScore might sound passable, but for a Disney princess film, it’s mediocre. Compare that to prior live-action remakes like Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, both of which opened well north of $100 million and landed strong A-range CinemaScores. This is a clear step down.
Rachel Zegler as Snow White in Snow White (2025), Walt Disney Studios
What’s truly remarkable is how even Variety and THR can’t completely avoid the elephant in the room: the controversies, the expensive reshoots, and the public backlash surrounding lead actress Rachel Zegler’s numerous missteps. Both publications mention the film arriving “dogged with controversy” and allude to Disney scaling back its premiere event, but there’s a noticeable tone shift—less confident hand-waving, more quiet acknowledgment that none of the damage control worked.
(L-R): Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen and Rachel Zegler as Snow White in Disney’s live-action SNOW WHITE. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2024 Disney Enterprises Inc. All Rights Reserved.
At the end of the day, the Snow White opening box office proves what many have suspected for months: audiences aren’t buying Disney’s latest reimagining, no matter how many times the media tries to repackage it. This isn’t just one bad weekend—it’s a clear signal that Disney’s formula is breaking down, and no amount of legacy media cover can salvage it.
