Box Office: ‘Snow White’ Aims for $50 Million, Robert De Niro Mob Drama ‘Alto Knights’ Heads for Abysmal Debut

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Will “Snow White” be the fairest of them all at the box office?

Disney’s real-life adaptation of its 1937 animated original film is expected to earn between $45 million and $55 million in North American theaters during its opening weekend. Globally, the movie could bring in around $50 million, resulting in a global debut above $100 million. With these ticket sales, it’s predicted that the film will comfortably take the top spot at the domestic box office, which had a poor week with Paramount’s action comedy “Novocaine” earning only $8.7 million over the weekend.

According to predictions, “Snow White” is not expected to match the opening weekend box office success of Disney’s previous live-action remakes, such as 2023’s “The Little Mermaid” ($95 million), 2016’s “Jungle Book” ($103 million) and a series of billion-dollar hits including 2019’s “The Lion King” ($191 million) and “Aladdin” ($91 million), 2017’s “Beauty and the Beast” ($174 million). Instead, “Snow White” is projected to start off more like 2019’s “Dumbo,” which kicked off with $45 million but ultimately fell short of expectations, earning only $353 million on a budget of $170 million.

The film ‘Snow White’ had a much higher production cost than ‘Dumbo’, exceeding $250 million prior to marketing expenses. This means the family movie needs to maintain its run in theaters long enough to recoup its investment. Disney is optimistic that the movie’s longevity will be similar to ‘The Lion King’ from last December. ‘The Lion King’ began with a modest $35 million at the box office, but eventually grossed $252 million domestically and an impressive $716 million globally.

In an exciting twist, Rachel Zegler, who gained fame as Maria in ‘West Side Story’, is set to play Snow White in an upcoming film. This time, Gal Gadot, known for her role as Wonder Woman, will portray the wicked Queen. The story follows Snow White joining forces with seven dwarves to fight against her malevolent stepmother and save their kingdom. Additionally, another Disney live-action remake, ‘Lilo & Stitch’, is set to hit theaters in May.

As a supporter, I firmly believe that the longstanding recognition of the “Snow White” brand and minimal competition in the market will undoubtedly be advantageous. However, this film has faced numerous challenges, such as criticisms over narrative alterations, with Halle Bailey stating that this modern interpretation is more feminist. Additionally, there have been calls for boycotts due to personal views held by stars like Halle Bailey and Gal Gadot regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict. Disney opted not to hold a traditional red carpet event, potentially sparing the cast from questions about the backlash they’ve faced.

This upcoming weekend, it appears that “The Alto Knights,” Robert De Niro‘s R-rated mob drama, might become one of this year’s biggest box office disappointments. The film is projected to earn between $2 million and $3 million from approximately 2,800 theaters in its domestic premiere. Warner Bros., the studio behind the movie, which has a production budget of around $45 million and was directed by Barry Levinson, the esteemed director known for “Rain Man” and “Wag the Dog,” is distributing it.

In the movie “Alto Knights,” previously known as “Wise Guys,” Robert De Niro portrays two notorious mob bosses, Vito Genovese and Frank Costello. The power struggle between these characters spirals into disorder when Genovese gives an order to assassinate Costello. In response, Costello strives to safeguard himself, his family, and concurrently plans to retire from the mafia.

If the predictions don’t unexpectedly get better, “Alto Knights” will be the second straight box office disappointment for Warner Bros. The studio recently debuted Bong Joon Ho’s “Mickey 17” in March, and so far it has earned $90 million worldwide against a substantial budget of $118 million. However, Warner Bros.’ prospects should brighten with upcoming sequels to “Mortal Kombat,” “Final Destination,” and “The Conjuring.” The studio also has several costly ventures on the horizon, such as Paul Thomas Anderson’s untitled film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, which carries a budget of $130 million, Ryan Coogler’s vampire thriller “Sinners” with a budget of $90 million, and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s $80 million Frankenstein spinoff “The Bride.

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2025-03-19 16:46