
Worst in a decade: Disney's controversial Snow White flops
Disney's latest attempt at bring an old classic to life has been labelled a failure with the live-action Snow White flopping in the box office.
The live-action remake of he 1937 classic was released March 20 this year, and looked set up to be a hit with a massive budget of $416 million.
However that didn't prove to be the case, as the large scale production and investment in marketing all proved to fall flat, with the film making $316m at the box office.
IMDB.com labelled the film 'officially a flop', with being the biggest live-action remake bomb for Disney since Pete's Dragon in 2016, which made $143.7m USD ($221.9m AUD).
The film wasn't exactly set up to succeed, as the blockbuster was marred by controversy before it was released.
Actor Peter Dinklage, known for his role in Game of Thrones, was openly critical of Disney for considering to portray the titular dwarfs.
'You're progressive in one way, but then you're still making that f****g backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together. What the f**k are you doing, man?,' Dinklage, who has dwarfism, said on Marc Maron's podcast in 2022.
This prompted Disney to take a 'different approach', with the seven dwarfs instead being CGI — a change that copped both criticism and praise.
While lead actress Rachel Zegler, playing the role of Snow White, put many off seeing the film all together.
Critics took issue with Zegler as the casting choice, with the fictional character's defining feature being her 'skin as white as snow', while the actress is of Latina decent.
Her antics on social media caused an even bigger stir, being openly vocal about her political views which rubbed many the wrong way.
She also took a stab at US President Donald Trump on social media in the lead up to the film's release.
On top of this, fans of the original story took issues with the narrative changes, with Zegler poking fun at the original story line back in 2022.
'I mean, you know, the original cartoon came out in 1937 and very evidently so,' Zegler said during Disney's D23 Expo.
'There's a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird. Weird. So we didn't do that this time.'
The film has now hit streaming services where it will likely see more success after bombing at the box office.

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Perth Now
20 hours ago
- Perth Now
Worst in a decade: Disney's controversial Snow White flops
Disney's latest attempt at bring an old classic to life has been labelled a failure with the live-action Snow White flopping in the box office. The live-action remake of he 1937 classic was released March 20 this year, and looked set up to be a hit with a massive budget of $416 million. However that didn't prove to be the case, as the large scale production and investment in marketing all proved to fall flat, with the film making $316m at the box office. labelled the film 'officially a flop', with being the biggest live-action remake bomb for Disney since Pete's Dragon in 2016, which made $143.7m USD ($221.9m AUD). The film wasn't exactly set up to succeed, as the blockbuster was marred by controversy before it was released. Actor Peter Dinklage, known for his role in Game of Thrones, was openly critical of Disney for considering to portray the titular dwarfs. 'You're progressive in one way, but then you're still making that f****g backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together. What the f**k are you doing, man?,' Dinklage, who has dwarfism, said on Marc Maron's podcast in 2022. This prompted Disney to take a 'different approach', with the seven dwarfs instead being CGI — a change that copped both criticism and praise. While lead actress Rachel Zegler, playing the role of Snow White, put many off seeing the film all together. Critics took issue with Zegler as the casting choice, with the fictional character's defining feature being her 'skin as white as snow', while the actress is of Latina decent. Her antics on social media caused an even bigger stir, being openly vocal about her political views which rubbed many the wrong way. She also took a stab at US President Donald Trump on social media in the lead up to the film's release. On top of this, fans of the original story took issues with the narrative changes, with Zegler poking fun at the original story line back in 2022. 'I mean, you know, the original cartoon came out in 1937 and very evidently so,' Zegler said during Disney's D23 Expo. 'There's a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird. Weird. So we didn't do that this time.' The film has now hit streaming services where it will likely see more success after bombing at the box office.

Courier-Mail
21 hours ago
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Snow White becomes Disney's worst-performing live-action remake in nearly 10 years
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News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
Snow White becomes Disney's worst-performing live-action remake in nearly 10 years
Disney's Snow White reboot is leaving a legacy it certainly doesn't want, becoming the company's worst-performing wide-release live-action remake in almost 10 years. The 2025 remake of the original 1937 movie opened March 21 in the US and Canada, and has struggled, earning barely $200 million (A$308.5 million) worldwide. The film's page on calls the movie 'officially a flop,' and says its $205.5 million (A$317 million) earnings are 'miles behind its massive $410 million (A$632 million) total cost,' including marketing, production, and other items. The site calls the film's disappointing performance 'a financial blow which few expected to be this severe, especially with the losses already estimated at over $115 million (A$117 million), per Collider.' Pete's Dragon, a 2016 Disney remake of the 1977 film, came away with $143.7 million (A$221 million), $61.8 million (A$95.3 million) less than Snow White. The Snow White remake was not without its controversies, which perhaps contributed to the film's poor reception. Over three years before the film's release, one A-list actor with dwarfism had Walt Disney Studios reframe how it portrayed the classic seven dwarfs characters. Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage called out the studio for even considering taking a stab at portraying magical dwarfs in the modern era. Speaking on comedian Marc Maron's podcast in 2022, Dinklage stated, 'You're progressive in one way, but then you're still making that f***ing backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together. What the f*** are you doing, man?' Disney then addressed the complaint and said the company would take a 'different approach' to the seven dwarfs. Rachel Zegler, the film's lead actress, faced backlash on social media for comments she made that were critical of the 1937 version of Snow White. 'I mean, you know, the original cartoon came out in 1937 and very evidently so,' Zegler said during Disney's D23 Expo in 2022. 'There's a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird! Weird. So we didn't do that this time.' Due to the controversy over the dwarfs and Zegler's comments on the original movie, Disney announced in late 2023 it would delay the release for Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs by a full year. It was originally slated to be released in March 2024. Zegler was also vocal about her anti-Israel views. In an August 2024 X post talking about the official trailer for Snow White, the actress wrote, 'And always remember, free Palestine.' She also lashed out at people who voted for President Donald Trump, saying in an Instagram post, 'May Trump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace,' adding, 'F*** Donald Trump.' She later apologised, saying in part that 'Hatred and anger have caused us to move further and further away from peace and understanding.' Disney also scaled back the Hollywood premiere event for Snow White. Variety reported 'the studio won't be rolling out a robust red carpet like it usually does,' and that the dozens of media outlets customarily present wouldn't be. Instead, coverage consisted of house crew members and photographers. Fox News Digital reached out to Disney for comment on Snow White 's box office numbers, but did not immediately receive a response.