Disney's Snow White remake has repeatedly come under fire for what appears to be a series of sweeping changes from the 1937 classic. Then, there are the poorly chosen comments about the beloved classic from the remake's lead star, Rachel Zegler.
Still, it's hard to shake the feeling that there are those on social media looking to destroy the movie for its so-called "woke" agenda, regardless of how good or bad it ends up being.
If a new story is to be believed, Disney is now ready to get the whole thing over and done with.
According to The Hollywood Reporter (via Toonado.com), the House of Mouse's decision to exclude press from Snow White's red carpet premiere in Los Angeles is because, in Disney's words, they wanted "a more celebratory, family-friendly afternoon event to match the tone and target audience for the film."
We've already detailed the supposed controversies surrounding Zegler and Evil Queen actor Gal Gadot. One theater owner and a rival studio source have told the trade that Disney's marketing campaign "has been uncharacteristically quiet," with tickets not going on sale until this past Monday.
"They’ve been going through the motions on Snow White, all but saying, 'We need to get this thing over with,'" an exhibition source tells the site. "An advance sales cycle of less than two weeks just screams, ‘We have zero faith in this thing.’ And it couldn’t come at a worse point, when the industry is just trying to limp along to May."
Disney insiders dispute those claims, arguing that it was always the plan to hold back on promoting Snow White until the final few weeks before its release in theaters. As things stand, it looks to open with upwards of $50 million in North America, a decent if somewhat unspectacular start.
Back to Zegler and this all started two years ago when she shared her take on the original Snow White. Yes, there had been the expected, awful racist backlash to her casting but she inadvertently gave the trolls all the ammunition she needed.
Calling the 1937 classic "extremely dated when it comes to the ideas of women being in roles of power," she said before saying Prince Charming "literally stalks her." The Shazam! Fury of the Gods star added, "People are making these jokes about ours being the PC Snow White, where it’s like, yeah, it is - because it needed that."
Snow White is a live-action musical reimagining of the classic 1937 film. The magical music adventure journeys back to the timeless story with beloved characters Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and Sneezy.
The movie is directed by Marc Webb and produced by Marc Platt and Jared LeBoff, with Callum McDougall serving as executive producer, and features all-new original songs from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
Disney's Snow White opens exclusively in theaters March 21, 2025.