You don't need to be a Disney fan to be aware of Snow White. The movie has been making headlines for years, typically for all the wrong reasons.
Whether it's Rachel Zegler's divisive comments about the 1937 classic, Gal Gadot's stance on the Gaza war, or the many changes Disney has made to the story to update it for the present day, there's a lot of negative buzz surrounding this one. Throw in the fact reviews haven't been good and Snow White's opening weekend is off to a sleepy start.
According to Variety (via Toonado.com), the movie only drew an estimated $3.5 million from Thursday previews screenings; that's a long way off what Aladdin ($7 million), The Lion King ($23 million), Beauty and the Beast ($16.3 million) made, for example.
Snow White is, however, performing better than Maleficent: Mistress of Evil ($2.3 million), Dumbo ($2.6 million), and even Mufasa: The Lion King ($3.3 million). The Amazing Spider-Man director Marc Webb's live-action remake has 46% on Rotten Tomatoes. Even so, "Rotten" Disney movies like Maleficent and Aladdin were still a hit with moviegoers when they opened.
In terms of what this means for the weekend, it's still expected to make $45 million to $55 million in its opening weekend, plus another $50 million internationally for a global launch of roughly $100 million. At this rate, it will likely be on the lower end.
The Critics Consensus for Snow White has also hit Rotten Tomatoes. "Snow White is hardly a grumpy time at the movies thanks to Rachel Zegler's luminous star turn," it reads, "but its bashful treatment of the source material along with some dopey stylistic choices won't make everyone happy, either."
How much moviegoers, and the young girls Disney hopes will flock to Snow White over the weekend, care about the supposed "controversies" is hard to say. The buzz does feel largely negative and a series of sweeping changes to the beloved animated classic run the risk of alienating Disney fans of all ages.
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.