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The Snow White Flop: A Tale of Controversy and Missed Opportunities
3rd April 2025
Last weekend saw the release of Snow White at cinemas, which arrived with a media storm of controversy in its wake. While the film debuted at number 1, grossing $87.3 million in its opening weekend, it fell 13% short of its forecast. But the story behind Snow White isn't just about box office numbers—it's about the complex web of controversies that plagued its journey to the big screen.
In fact, the buildup to its release was so turbulent that Disney even scaled back the premiere, excluding reporters from the red carpet. For anyone who missed it, Vulture has helpfully compiled the film's various controversies, which I’ve summarized below:
Timeline of Controversies Leading Up to Snow White’s Release:
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June 2021: Rachel Zegler was cast as Snow White, sparking backlash from right-wing Disney fans and racists who criticized Zegler’s Latina heritage, claiming she didn’t fit the traditional image of Snow White.
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November 2021: Gal Gadot was cast as the Evil Queen, adding fuel to the fire.
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January 2022: Peter Dinklage publicly criticized the film’s depiction of the seven dwarfs, calling it “f*cking backwards.” Disney responded by pledging to consult with the dwarfism community and take a new approach to the characters.
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January 2022: Actors with dwarfism, including Dylan Postl and Katrina Kemp, also weighed in. Postl argued that taking jobs away from dwarf actors wasn’t helpful, while Kemp lamented the missed opportunity to cast seven little people in the film.
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September 2022: Zegler ignited further controversy when she explained in an interview that the film would be different from the 1937 animated classic. She criticized the original Snow White for portraying a love story with a stalker, emphasizing a more modern, self-discovery narrative.
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July 2023: Leaked photos from the set revealed that only one actor with dwarfism was cast among the seven dwarfs, further stirring the dwarfism community and raising more questions about the lack of representation.
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October 2023: Disney pushed the film’s release back due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes but released a first-look image revealing that the seven dwarfs would be CGI.
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August 2024: The first teaser trailer was met with calls for a boycott following Gal Gadot’s pro-Israel stance amid the Gaza conflict, reigniting existing tensions around the cast.
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August 2024: Zegler sparked further backlash when she tweeted her support for “free Palestine,” prompting producers to ask her to remove the post, which led to public criticism from her co-stars and producers.
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February 2025: Disney announced the cast for the CGI "magical creatures," avoiding dwarfism altogether. Martin Klebba, the only actor with dwarfism in the cast, was given the role of Grumpy.
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March 2025: Klebba voiced his disappointment about the scaled-back premiere, stating, “I’m not disappointed with Disney, I’m disappointed with the world.”
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March 2025: Zegler and Gadot attended the LA premiere, but despite their efforts, Snow White underperformed at the box office, grossing just $87.3 million in its opening weekend—far behind expectations.
The Box Office Struggles:
Despite the film topping the box office in its opening weekend, Snow White's performance has raised red flags. With production costs totaling around $213.9 million, the film will need to perform well beyond its forecast to break even. After a second weekend drop of 66.4%, grossing only $14.2 million domestically, Snow White has now surpassed Dumbo for the worst drop-off among Disney’s live-action remakes. (Dumbo previously held the record with a 60.4% decline.)
So, what can we learn from all this? Are Live-Action Remakes Doomed?
With Disney ramping up efforts to release more live-action remakes, it’s clear that the quality and box office returns are in decline. However, not all hope is lost. Lilo & Stitch, for example, appears to have navigated public controversy more effectively, focusing on anticipation for the film rather than getting caught in the crossfire of online debates.
Could a Stronger Marketing Campaign Have Saved the Film?
Looking back, it seems Disney may have admitted defeat before even crossing the finish line with the marketing of Snow White. When The Little Mermaid was released in 2023, it faced backlash over casting Halle Bailey as Ariel, but Disney stood firm and even released presale tickets a month in advance to show confidence in the decision.
However, for Snow White, Disney did not release presale tickets until just two weeks before the domestic premiere, signaling a lack of faith in the film’s marketing potential. If Disney had taken a bolder approach—louder, prouder, and more in control of the narrative—it’s possible that they could have overcome the negativity and reframed the conversation around the film’s merits rather than its controversies.
Conclusion: A Lesson in Marketing and Messaging
With four years of controversies leading up to Snow White's release, the film faced an uphill battle. Despite being a box office success in its opening weekend, its overall underperformance suggests that the film’s turbulent lead-up, lackluster marketing, and ongoing controversies have hurt its chances of recouping its production costs.
If anything, Snow White serves as a cautionary tale for studios about the power of messaging and the importance of anticipating and managing public conversation. As for Disney, they may want to rethink their approach to future remakes—because, at this point, it seems the magic is fading.
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