Snow White 2025: Controversy, Reviews, Box Office & Flop

There’s something about Snow White that keeps sparking debate, even 88 years after the animated classic. The 2025 live-action remake opened to $42.2 million domestically, according to ScreenRant, and has stirred controversy over casting, political statements, and story changes. This article separates verified facts from speculation around the film’s reception, box office, and what it means for Disney.

Domestic opening weekend: $42.2 million (ScreenRant) ·
Reported production budget: $250–270 million (Fox News, ScreenRant) ·
Second weekend drop: 66% (Fox News) ·
Claimed loss: $170 million (That Park Place)

Six key details define the project’s profile at a glance.

What is the Snow White movie controversy?

Casting of Rachel Zegler as Snow White

• Zegler, a Latina actress, was cast in a role traditionally depicted as white, igniting debate about colorblind casting in Hollywood (ScreenRant).
• Disney defended the choice as a modern reimagining, but online backlash continued from announcement to release.

Political comments by Rachel Zegler

• In a 2022 Variety interview, Zegler called the original 1937 film “dated” and said her version would focus less on the prince, comments that were widely criticized by fans of the original.
• She later clarified her remarks, but the damage had been set in the public narrative.

Changes to the original story

• Reports indicated the new script shifted focus to the Evil Queen (Gal Gadot), reducing Snow White’s role and altering the romance arc (Fox News).
• Disney also replaced the seven dwarfs with CGI “magical creatures,” drawing criticism from traditionalists.

Why is the new Snow White getting bad reviews?

Critical reception summary

• Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 43% based on 238 reviews as of late March 2025.
• Metacritic score: 49/100, indicating mixed or average reviews.
• CinemaScore: B+, suggesting audiences were mildly satisfied.

Audience vs critic scores

• Audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes hovered around 70%, indicating a split between critics and general moviegoers.
• However, review bombing on user platforms complicated the picture, with many negative ratings from users who had not seen the film (ScreenRant).

Common complaints

• Wall Street Journal critic Kyle Smith called the film “charmless, uninspired and mediocre” (Fox News).
• Other critics pointed to uneven pacing, underdeveloped characters, and a script that tried to serve too many agendas.

Did Disney lose $170 million on Snow White?

Reported budget and box office

• Production budget estimates range from $250 million (Fox News) to $270 million (ScreenRant), with marketing costs adding tens of millions.
• Domestic opening weekend: $42.2 million; global opening weekend: approximately $87 million (industry estimates).
• Second weekend domestic gross fell 66% to $14.2 million (Fox News).

Break-even analysis

• Analysts typically require a film to gross 2.5x its production budget to break even, meaning Snow White would need around $625–675 million.
• As of late March 2025, worldwide gross was reported at $205.7 million (That Park Place) to $310 million (IMDb News), far short of the break-even point.

Disney’s official statements

• Disney has not publicly confirmed a $170 million loss. The figure comes from third-party analysts using box office splits and marketing cost estimates (That Park Place).
• Without disclosure from Disney, the exact financial impact remains uncertain.

Why don’t people like Rachel Zegler as Snow White?

Casting backlash

• Some critics objected to a Latina actress playing a character described in the 1937 film as having “skin as white as snow.” Others defended the casting as irrelevant to performance.
• The debate became a proxy for larger culture wars, with media coverage amplifying both sides (Fox News).

Political comments controversy

• Zegler’s 2022 Variety interview, in which she said the original film was “dated” and that the prince “literally stalks Snow White,” angered many fans who saw the remarks as disrespectful.
• She later walked back some statements, but the narrative of an “entitled” star persisted.

On-screen performance reviews

• Many critics praised Zegler’s singing voice but found her acting overshadowed by the script’s inconsistent tone.
• ScreenRant noted that Zegler gave a “game” performance but was let down by the film’s direction.

Why don’t Gal Gadot and Rachel Zegler get along?

Reported feud

• Rumors of tension between the two leads have not been confirmed by either actress or Disney.
• The gossip gained traction due to a lack of joint promotional appearances and seemingly cool body language in the few events they shared.

Social media interactions

• Zegler posted pro-Palestinian content during the Israel-Hamas conflict, while Gadot, an Israeli former soldier, is a vocal supporter of Israel. Their political differences became a subplot in the media narrative.
• Neither actress has publicly addressed the supposed feud.

Promotional tour dynamics

• Disney’s press strategy kept the two apart for most interviews, which some interpreted as evidence of a rift. However, it may simply reflect a desire to avoid political questions.

The pattern across all these reports is consistent: a film that cost a fortune to make failed to connect with audiences. For Disney, the consequence is clear: the remake formula that worked for Beauty and the Beast no longer guarantees success. Future projects like Moana and Lilo & Stitch will need sharper execution and smarter marketing — or face similar write-offs.