As if Disney's live-action Snow White remake wasn't experiencing enough box office woes, the movie has now been banned completely in one particular region.
According to Variety, Snow White has been banned from playing in all movie theaters in Lebanon due to the involvement of Evil Queen actress Gal Gadot, who is said to be on the country's "boycott list."
Lebanon’s Interior Minister Ahmad Al-Hajjar reportedly ordered the ban after being prompted to take action by the country’s film and media watchdog amid Israel’s ongoing attacks on Hezbollah. However, Beirut-based Middle East distributor Italia Films believes that the ban would have happened anyway, as Gadot has long been on Lebanon’s “Israel boycott list” and no movie in which she appears in has ever been released there.
The Wonder Woman star has been an open supporter of Israel, and served in the Israel Defense Forces (as her native country mandates) prior to becoming a model and actress.
Marvel Studios' Captain America: Brave New World was also prevented from screening in the region a couple of months ago due to Israeli actress Shira Haas (Ruth Bat Seraph/Sabra) being part of the cast.
To date, Snow White has grossed just over $181M at the worldwide box office on a reported budget of $250 million (though some analysts believe it's probably closer to $350 million when marketing costs, etc, are factored in).
The movie received mixed-negative reviews from critics (it's now dropped to 40% on Rotten Tomatoes), but audiences do seem to be getting a little more out of it for the most part (71%). That said, CinemaScore recently revealed that the movie has earned a B+ grade, which isn't terrible by any means, but is reportedly the lowest ever CinemaScore for any live-action Disney remake. The studio's most recent offering, Mufasa: The Lion King, was given an A-.
Disney’s Snow White is directed by Marc Webb, written by Erin Cressida Wilson, and produced by Marc Platt, p.g.a., and Jared LeBoff, p.g.a., with Callum McDougall serving as executive producer. The film features all-new original songs from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and an original score composed by Jeff Morrow.
The film also stars Andrew Burnap as Jonathan, Andrew Barth Feldman as Dopey, Tituss Burgess as Bashful, Martin Klebba as Grumpy, Jason Kravits as Sneezy, George Salazar as Happy, Jeremy Swift as Doc, and Andrew Grotelueschen as Sleepy.
Snow White is now in theaters. Do you plan on checking this one out on the big screen, or will you be waiting for streaming? Be sure to let us know in the comments section down below.