Mirror, mirror on the wall, what movie flopped the hardest of them all?
Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot’s “Snow White” is projected to rake in just about $45 million this weekend, putting it on track to be one of Disney’s sleepiest opening weekends yet.
As of Friday mid-day, the beleaguered live-action remake of the 1937 classic reaped $15.5 million across 4,200 North American theaters, including $3.5 million from Thursday night’s previews, Deadline reported.
Matinees and Sunday evening showings could give the movie a much-needed boost, however, but Deadline projects the film’s domestic box office numbers will fall somewhere in the mid-$40 million range — putting it in competition with the washout “Dumbo” remake from 2019.
That Tim Burton clunker brought made $46 million on opening weekend, but cost significantly less to make: $170 million compared to $270 million.
“Snow White” still has time to save itself from becoming one of Disney’s worst performing opening weekend remakes, however: “Mufasa: The Lion King” only earned $35.4 million in December.
“Snow White’s” lackluster ticket sales fall well below initial expectations for the film.
In February, Box Office Pro projected it would make as much as $85 million domestically.
The blame can’t be solely placed on a Disney-remake curse either: the live-action 2023 “The Little Mermaid” starring Halle Bailey as Ariel brought in a jaw-dropping $95.5 million open weekend.
The disappointing box office numbers come as both the film and its A-list actors fall under intense scrutiny.
Tensions between Zegler, 23, as the titular character and Gadot, 39, have reportedly arisen throughout the film’s promotional tour, with both holding opposing views on the war in Gaza.
Zegler wrote “Free Palestine” on X after the first trailer for the movie was released in December, while Gadot, who was born in Israel and served in the IDF, has repeatedly voiced support for her native country.
Some Disney fans have also called for boycotting the movie after Zegler called out President Trump.
The live-action movie itself has been criticized as being too “woke” after producers opted to use animated, magical beings as the dwarves instead of casting real people who have the condition.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
