Disney’s Snow White has surpassed a box office milestone and, in spite of its widespread controversy, has officially earned the title of Rachel Zegler’s second-highest-grossing movie. Disney’s latest movie has become incredibly divisive as it updates the 1937 classic tale taken from the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. Disney’s Snow White erases the romantic motives in favor of the live-action Disney princess (Zegler) liberating her kingdom from the Evil Queen (Gal Gadot) with the help of the Seven Dwarfs. Snow White‘s live-action cast also includes talent from The Little Mermaid‘s Andrew Burnap, and Back to Black‘s Ansu Kabia.

As reported by The Numbers, Snow White has become Zegler’s second highest-grossing movie, with another major Hollywood franchise securing the highest ranking. Every weekend since its release has yielded disappointing results, with Snow White having one of the worst box office performances in comparison to other live-action Disney remakes. Although the film made $87 million in its first three days, Snow White‘s bombing reviews and discourse have directed it towards continued losses, which is becoming progressively worrisome. Not only this, but Snow White’s poor performance could have major ramifications for its leading actress, Rachel Zegler.

Snow White’s Box Office & How It Compares To Other Rachel Zegler Movies

Rachel Zegler’s Highest Grossing Movie Is The Hunger Games

Coming in behind The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Zegler’s latest release has become her second highest-grossing movie. At present, Disney’s Snow White has garnered a total of $142.7 million globally, whereas the former sits at $349 million worldwide. With this in mind, it’s still being predicted that Snow White will be a box-office flop, as the production is required to make at least $500 million to break even. This is a direct consequence of the film’s huge production budget of $240-270 million, meaning that although Disney’s Snow White‘s box office is improving, they are still not ideal.

Rachel Zegler Box Office Performance
Year
Budget
Domestic Box Office
Worldwide Box Office

Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
2023
$100 million
$166 million
$349 million

Disney’s Snow White
2025
$209 million
$68 million
$142 million

Shazam: Fury of the Gods
2023
$134 million
$57 million
$134 million

West Side Story
2021
$100 million
$38 million
$76 million

While Snow White‘s box office appears to be impressive for Zegler, the record is, in fact, not that much of a considerable feat. Zegler’s opposing movies greatly underperformed, so despite Snow White having an impressive commercial performance, these box office milestones were not particularly challenging to attain. Even Zegler’s highest-grossing movie, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, received the worst set of reviews from critics of any Hunger Games movie during its opening weekend. The commercial performance of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes was lackluster, especially considering the franchise’s scale.

Why Have Rachel Zegler’s Movies Underperfomed At The Box Office?

There Are A Number Of Factors Contributing To Rachel Zegler’s Mediocre Box Office

Image via A24

Although Zegler’s movies have been met with unsatisfactory box office results, there are reasonable explanations specific to the conditions of each film. It is worth pointing out that Zegler’s performances have been exempt from criticism for the most part, and her acting itself is not the issue with these poor receptions. For instance, A24’s horror/comedy released in 2024, Y2K, bombed at the box office during its opening weekend. There were an onslaught of negative reviews regardingY2K, which resulted in only $4.4 million at the box office. Recurring issues or external issues have plagued all of Zelger’s major film projects.

West Side Story

Zegler portrayed María in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 adaptation of West Side Story. The role earned her a Golden Globe for Best Leading Actress, although the musical had the worst commercial performance of any major Zegler project. West Side Story‘s box office failure was primarily due to the global pandemic, as the film was released in the midst of Covid-19, and its impact on theater attendance. Against a budget of $100 million, Variety reported that West Side Story‘s loss was far greater than it seemed, with a break-even point of $300 million — cementing its place as Spielberg’s worst-performing movie, too.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods

The abysmal box office performance of Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a consequence of various reasons. Shazam!‘s sequel had the worst opening weekend of any movie in the DCEU. In part, this could be due to the DCU’s remodel, which meant that the future of Zachary Levi’s character was uncertain during Shazam! Fury of the Gods release. However, the main criticism of Shazam!’s sequel was in relation to its marketing. A large proportion of trailers of TV teasers spoiled the return of Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, which exhausted all the built-up excitement for the series’ continuation.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

It’s important to note that The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes did not have a particularly bad performance at the box office, but it was simply not the strongest in the franchise. During its first weekend, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes only attained $98 million worldwide. This is worse than the franchise’s lowest-grossing film, Mockingjay – Part 2, which still managed to achieve $102 million on its opening weekend in 2015. Alongside the preemptive negative reviews from critics, the actors couldn’t promote Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes, meaning it had a very limited press run.

Disney’s Snow White

Snow White‘s poor performance is unquestionably due to the onrush of controversy surrounding the remake from 1937. Between Zegler publicly discrediting the original movie, her opposing views on Israel-Palestine with Gadot, the CGI of the Seven Dwarfs, and major changes to the original narrative, Disney’s Snow White has always been poised for a loss. Although the film still has time to increase its box office revenue, it’s doubtful the movie will recoup its costs. The film’s significant setback at the box office led to IMDb issuing a disclaimer for “unusual voting activity,” after the film received a 1.5 user rating on the site.

Rachel Zegler Deserves To Be A True Box Office Star

Zegler’s Performances Are Consistent Across All Her Entire Filmography

Image via Disney

Needless to say, box office success is not tantamount to an actor’s level of skill, and there are a number of other indicators that we can use to judge an actor’s career. Zegler’s disappointing track record at the box office is just an unfortunate outcome, and it is regrettable given that she has given some truly remarkable performances throughout her career. This is especially the case for West Side Story and Snow White, where her performances take center stage. Despite a film’s controversies or adverse conditions, audiences should feel compelled to attend the theaters to see Zegler’s performances alone.

In the wake of her fourth box-office failure, Zelger does not have any movies in the works following Snow White‘s premiere in March 2025.

Regardless, there’s no doubt Zegler will land many more roles, suggesting her talent may ultimately prove decisive and ensure she succeeds in the future. Even if this isn’t the case, Zegler likely has a promising future ahead of her, and she’s already making significant strides towards it. In the wake of her fourth box-office failure, Zelger does not have any movies in the works following Snow White‘s premiere in March 2025. However, Zegler is performing in other mediums, appearing in Broadway’s Romeo + Juliet in 2024, and earning a pivotal role in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita in July 2025.