Disney's Snow White Remake Struggles to Break Even After Slow Box Office Start

Snow White, the latest live-action remake from Disney directed by Marc Webb of The Amazing Spider-Man fame, experienced a challenging start at the box office. The film debuted with a domestic total of $43 million, marking it as the second highest opening of 2025 so far, only trailing behind the MCU's Captain America: Brave New World. Despite topping the charts this week, Snow White fell short of the $45 million opening achieved by the live-action Dumbo in 2019 and did not meet pre-release expectations.

For perspective, other Disney remakes such as 2019's The Lion King, 2017's Beauty and the Beast, 2016's The Jungle Book, and 2023's The Little Mermaid all boasted opening weekend earnings exceeding $100 million domestically.

Internationally, Snow White also had a modest start, pulling in $44.3 million, which brings the global box office total to $87.3 million, according to Comscore estimates.

Snow White reimagines the 1937 animated classic with Rachel Zegler, a seasoned musical actress, in the lead role, and Gal Gadot, known for her portrayal of Wonder Woman, as the Evil Queen. With a hefty production budget reportedly over $250 million, Snow White faces a steep climb to profitability, particularly when factoring in marketing expenses.

However, there's potential for a turnaround, as evidenced by Disney's Mufasa: The Lion King. Despite a weak domestic opening of $35.4 million, it ultimately amassed over $717 million worldwide. Disney is likely banking on a similar 'sleeper hit' success for Snow White, especially amidst ongoing discussions about the performance of Captain America: Brave New World, which has now reached $400.8 million globally after six weekends.

IGN's review of Snow White was favorable, awarding it a 7/10 and noting, "Snow White is a live-action Disney remake that meaningfully adapts its original, rather than creating a lesser mimicry."