Disney’s Snow White Ends Box Office Run With Disappointing Numbers

After months of controversy, lukewarm reviews, and bad box-office-side showing, the film ended its run in theatres. Garnering curbside collection figures of $205.5 million, the creation ranks among one of the lowest-grossing canned studio animations-to-live-action adaptations by Disney. Tomorrow, the movie will be released on Disney+, hoping perhaps for a digital revival. Rachel Zegler as Snow White and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen somehow managed to not crack the markets either at home or abroad. Somehow, with a cast of high caliber and with an imprint of the original film of 1937, this late rendition seldom managed to create the kind of magic audiences have come to expect from Disney reimaginings. In comparison to Disney’s other live-action remakes, the numbers speak volumes. Only Pete’s Dragon (2016) and Mulan (2020) — the latter hindered by pandemic-era streaming experiments — performed worse in terms of worldwide earnings.

Streaming Release: A Second Chance?

The launch of the film on Disney+ should provide it with a second life, in particular among younger viewers and families. But it remains to be heard whether this streaming performance can salvage its theatrical failures. Disney+ has already assisted such films as Encanto and Turning Red to succeed after the theatrical release, although the situation with Snow White is not expected to be so optimistic due to the troubled history of the project.

Many of the painful moments in the reception of the film can be reconnected to the months before its release. The honest comments of the lead actress, Rachel Zegler, about the original animated version, claimed outdated and anti-feminist, caused heated discussions on the Internet. Also, the choices of redesigning important plot points and character relationships induced additional polarization.

Critics were also less than kind. Rotten Tomatoes tomato meter shows a dismal 40 percent critic score with most critics pointing to the mixed up tone of the movie, its charmlessness and its incoherent narrative. The reception of the audience was also rather tepid, as CinemaScore gave it a solid B-.

Shifting Audience Preferences?

Even though Lilo & Stitch has had an indirect indication of success, being another live-action adaptation, the failure of Snow White could point to an increasing audience exhaustion with predictable remakes. In a time when even nostalgia is no longer enough to secure success, Disney finds itself in the difficult position of having to reinterpret its classics in a manner that will appeal to modern audiences without turning its long-time fans away.

Competition is also increasing with other studios producing new, original material or more risque re-imaginings of old stories. The emergence of streaming services has altered the terrain such that the theatrical model is finding it more difficult to flourish unless a film or movie receives a substantial critical and cultural shove.

What’s Next for Disney?

Disney is not likely to give up on the strategy completely, as several remakes are already in the works — Hercules, Moana, and The Aristocats among them. But the box office flop of Snow White can perhaps result into more careful green lighting and possibly a reconsideration of the way these tales are reworked to be made relevant to modern audiences. Tomorrow, Snow White will be available on Disney+, and the industry will be paying close attention. Its stream quality will either make the disappointment less painful or prove that this adaptation of the classical story just was not meant to happen.