Snow White: D.O.A.

• 24 March 2025 11:27 UTC+01:00
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First weekend receipts are in, and Disney's Snow White has failed to achieve even the modest predictions of its box office performance, which have been adjusted down over the last few weeks. In fact, not even exceeding the low-end of the most pessimistic outlook, it debuted to a meagre $43M domestically and $87.3M globally.

Family-friendly films may be more resilient to box office decline—in comparison to superhero juggernauts, for example, which are typically front-ended—especially if their run occurs over a holiday period, and Snow White's is heading into Easter. So, it could leg-out in the same manner as Mufasa: The Lion King, which did gangbusters over the Christmas and new year period. Or not, because The Lion King prequel, like the majority of Disney's live-action remakes, also performed well in overseas markets.

Deadline's international box office editor and senior contributor, Nancy Tartaglione, tries to explain why Snow White underperformed against expectations outside the US:

The $50M+ hoped for overseas ahead of the launch didn’t materialize in part because audiences didn’t feel a sense of urgency (note that it’s unlikely any of the so-called controversy surrounding the film played a role).

Nancy Tartaglione, ‘Snow White’ Bashful With $87.3M Global Bow; ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ Crosses $400M WW – International Box Office, Deadline

So, there you have it, according to a professional international box office editor: it’s unlikely any of the so-called controversy surrounding the film played a role. But there are so many and varied controversies, aren't there? Can they all be dismissed so readily?

And therein lies the rub. The live-action remakes have pulled in at least 50% more from overseas markets than from the domestic box office. The outlier to this being The Little Mermaid, which came in with 9% less. I have no idea what the full explanation is for this difference, but at least one given at the time was that Asian audiences in particular did not buy into Disney's woke agenda; they did not appreciate a race-swapped traditionally white character, nor the other major liberties taken with the story to turn it into a girl boss empowerment feature.

So, perhaps Nancy's a little naive to think that the controversies surrounding this release don't play a role overseas. For sure, international audiences are less likely to be fazed by Rachel Zegler's anti-Trump views on social media. They might not even care that she told half of the USA that she hoped they know no peace and didn't need their business. And who even knows what they think about the Zegler/Gadot feud over the Gaza War? But they may well be more sensitive to the controversies around rewriting the classic fairy tale. Who knows? Time will tell, I guess.

She does her best to remain bullish on behalf of the House of Mouse though, citing Captain America: Brave New World's global tally limping over the $400M mark as it winds down its five-weeks theatrical run: Dis has the top two releases of the year so far; the year so far being less than three months. What she diplomatically overlooks is that while these two titles may have grossed more than any others so far this year, they also cost vastly more to get to screens. The latest MCU outing is a bomb in real terms, and Zegler's Folly looks set to follow in its footsteps. Quel dommage!

As for me, I can't resist the urge…

[ dances the DIE DISMAL DISNEY dance ]