Disney’s Snow White Remake: Final Milestone Reached, But Success Still Elusive

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The Disney reboot featuring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot stirred up quite a bit of debate. After a string of successful live adaptations of Disney’s animated fairy tales, the remake of Snow White fell flat, receiving negative feedback from critics as well as underperforming at the box office.

Despite facing criticism over Zegler’s casting and ongoing issues since its early days, Disney’s Snow White managed to achieve its ultimate goal by surpassing the $200 million mark globally, according to reports.

The revamped version is inspired by the 1937 animated movie “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. It narrates the tale of Disney’s first princess as she embarks on a quest for survival, following an order from the Wicked Queen who was envious of Snow White’s beauty, as revealed by the Enchanted Mirror. This adventure features her extraordinary bond with various animals and an unexpected camaraderie with her seven friends.

As a film enthusiast, I’ve got to share my personal experience with the challenges faced during the production of this anticipated live-action remake. The journey began back in 2016, following the triumph of Cinderella from 2015. This project was a labor of love that had been carefully nurtured for years. However, the road to bringing it to life wasn’t smooth.

The cameras rolled in July 2022, but the production hit several snags. The SAG-AFTRA strikes, reshoots, and an unfortunate fire on set caused us to push back our schedule multiple times. But as they say, every cloud has a silver lining. These obstacles only made us more determined to deliver a truly magical experience for all film lovers.

This venture carried a significant financial burden since Disney is said to have invested nearly $270 million in producing the movie. To achieve success, Snow White required a staggering total of over $550 million at global box offices. Yet, its path to success was marred from the outset.

As a passionate advocate for the recent Snow White live-action remake, I must admit that it’s been an uphill battle. While we’ve managed to garner $200.2 million worldwide, a significant chunk of that revenue comes from international markets. Unfortunately, domestically, we’re still a long way from reaching the $100 million mark, with only $85.7 million earned so far.

Given the movie’s less-than-favorable reception by critics, who gave it a 40% “rotten” score, and the initial financial investment required for such a production, this seems like an almost insurmountable challenge. If we fail to recoup our costs, Disney stands to lose millions.

However, it’s heartening to see that audiences have been more enthusiastic, giving the film a 72% approval rating. Despite the negative reviews from critics, it appears that there’s still much to appreciate about this adaptation.

Snow White’s Many Controversies Circled Around Rachel Zegler

Despite facing numerous critics due to its live-action approach, the extensive use of CGI for the seven dwarfs being a particular point of contention (as it replaced real individuals with dwarfism), the majority of criticism primarily centered around Zegler’s casting. This was because the actress, who hails from Latino descent, was chosen to portray a character originally depicted as having “skin as white as snow” in the source material.

In a 2022 interview with Extra TV, the actress expressed that certain parts of the original film seem outdated now. Specifically, she pointed out that the animation centers around her romantic tale with a man who, in today’s context, might be seen as stalking her. She exclaimed that it was “strange, strange” and mentioned that the revamped version took on a more feminist perspective, but unfortunately, this change was criticized.

Additionally, the poor box office performance of the film was also linked to the controversial comments made by the actress. This was further aggravated when Marc Platt’s son, Jonah, publicly criticized the actress, suggesting she was responsible for the movie’s failure. Simultaneously, Gal Gadot, who held differing views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict compared to Zegler, also faced criticism related to the film, and both actresses endured their fair share of backlash.

Snow White is playing in theaters.

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2025-04-30 20:51