Box Office: ‘Snow White’ Awakens With $16 Million Opening Day as ‘Alto Knights’ Bombs

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Disney’s film version of “Snow White” is currently leading the box office rankings. The musical, featuring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, has garnered approximately $16 million during its first screenings at 4,200 venues. This promising start suggests that “Snow White” could potentially earn over $45 million in its opening weekend, according to estimates.

The film “Snow White,” directed by Marc Webb, is expected to have the second highest box office opening this year, trailing only behind Disney’s “Captain America: Brave New World.” Similar to “Captain America,” “Snow White” was made with a large budget typical of four-quadrant blockbusters and needs to achieve similar success. With a production cost exceeding $250 million, the movie must overcome significant financial hurdles to become profitable.

Many other Disney family films have had successful cinema releases, such as the recently released “Mufasa: The Lion King” which, despite initial negative reviews and a modest opening of $35 million in December, managed to maintain its momentum and became a global sensation, earning over $250 million in North America and more than $700 million globally. However, the 2019 remake “Dumbo” didn’t fare as well. It started with a $45 million opening and ended up with $114 million domestically and $353 million worldwide, which was a disappointing return for a film that cost significantly less than “Snow White,” with a production budget of $170 million.

To achieve the same level of theatrical success as “The Lion King” prequel did with “Mufasa”, “Snow White” would require a comparable feat. However, it doesn’t have the advantage of the holiday season’s wide-open moviegoing market that “The Lion King” benefited from. Despite receiving negative reviews, the film seems to be well-received by audiences, earning a “B+” grade according to pollster Cinema Score. While “Snow White” has sparked intense online debate (to the extent that Disney limited press access at the premiere), those who purchased tickets have expressed positive opinions about it.

In the meantime, Warner Bros. may choose to move on from the release of the mafia drama “The Alto Knights,” which is a crime-focused movie set in different periods. Robert De Niro portrays two distinct (but genetically unrelated) mob bosses in New York City. The film earned a disappointing $1.17 million during its opening on Friday and previews, showing in 2,651 theaters.

Similar to the Warner Bros. release “Mickey 17,” which struggled in its debut two weeks back, “The Alto Knights” shares characteristics such as being a star-studded, original R-rated drama directed by an award-winning filmmaker (Barry Levinson). Unlike “Mickey 17,” which hasn’t managed to attract a large enough audience to cover its massive budget, “Alto Knights” is a more cost-effective production at $45 million. However, unlike “Mickey 17,” “The Alto Knights” has yet to draw in many moviegoers either.

The Cinema Score received a moderate “B” evaluation. The movie titled “Alto Knights” received an indifferent response from critics. The crime film has slim chances of making it into the top five upon its release. March has been challenging for Warner Bros.; they hope to recover with the video game adaptation, “The Minecraft Movie,” in two weeks’ time.

The remaining positions in the top five are filled with repeating films. The espionage thriller “Black Bag” from Focus Features is moving up to second place, but it’s expected to experience a significant 43% decline in its second weekend. Unfortunately, the strong word-of-mouth response that Universal’s specialty label was anticipating for the $50 million drama starring big names has not materialized. As a result, it will now strive to surpass $14.8 million in its first ten days.

Disney’s movie “Captain America: Brave New World” is once again moving up the charts, settling into third place. On Friday alone, it made approximately $1.1 million, and by Saturday, it’s expected to surpass a total domestic earnings of $190 million.

As a film enthusiast, I find myself reflecting on the box office performance of two recent releases over the weekend. Firstly, there’s “Novocaine,” Paramount’s hilarious action flick that saw a significant 57% drop in its second week. Predictions suggest it will rake in around $3.8 million this weekend, bringing its domestic total to an estimated $15.8 million.

Next up, we have Warner’s “Mickey 17,” which added another million dollars on Friday. It seems to be pushing hard to surpass the $40 million mark in domestic earnings by the end of this weekend.

Additionally, RLJE and Shudder are planning to screen the alien-planet horror film “Ash” in approximately 1,163 cinemas, a week after its debut at SXSW. Directed by Flying Lotus and featuring Eiza González and Aaron Paul, this suspenseful movie made around $333,000 on its first day. On the other hand, Briarcliff Entertainment is releasing Jonathan Majors’ long-stored bodybuilding drama “Magazine Dreams,” which they acquired from Searchlight Pictures after Majors’ 2023 assault conviction. It too made about $330,000 on its opening day, showing in around 815 theaters.

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2025-03-22 20:17