Snow White 2025 Flop: $170M Loss and Controversy

Disney’s live-action remakes usually print money, but Snow White broke the pattern. With a reported $170 million loss, widespread negative reviews, and a casting controversy that refused to fade, the 2025 film became a case study in how star power and corporate nostalgia can backfire.

Reported financial loss: $170 million ·
Release date: March 21, 2025 ·
Lead actress: Rachel Zegler ·
Villain actor: Gal Gadot ·
Critical reception: Predominantly negative reviews

Six key facts, one pattern: every major financial and creative indicator points to a project that lost Disney far more than it earned.

Did Disney lose $170 million on Snow White?

• According to a detailed breakdown from That Park Place (entertainment financial analysis), Disney’s theatrical loss from Snow White lands at roughly $168–170 million. That estimate includes a net production cost of $271.6 million and a worldwide box‑office take of about $205.7 million.
• A separate YouTube commentary (box‑office tracking) reports the film opened to $43 million domestically and $87.3 million globally – well below the $100 million projection some analysts had floated.

How does this loss compare to other Disney remakes?

• Earlier live‑action remakes such as The Lion King (2019) and Beauty and the Beast (2017) each crossed $1 billion worldwide. Snow White’s total of $205.7 million ranks as one of the lowest for a major Disney live‑action re‑imagining (YouTube commentary, comparative analysis).
• The gap is enormous: where other remakes generated profit, Snow White reportedly lost money – a rare outcome for a studio brand that usually prints money.

The implication: even a beloved IP can tank when the production narrative overshadows the fairy tale itself.

Why did Snow White get bad reviews?

• Critics largely panned the film. Common complaints include uneven pacing, a tone that swings between dark and cartoonish, and script changes that stripped the original 1937 story of its simplicity (YouTube commentary, review roundup).
• Early reactions after the premiere were mixed but not disastrous; however, as full reviews landed, the consensus turned predominantly negative.

What did critics say about the script and direction?

• The screenplay, written by Greta Gerwig and Erin Cressida Wilson, was criticised for trying to modernise the story without committing to a clear new vision. Scenes that should have been charming felt forced, and the musical numbers lacked the energy of the original (YouTube commentary, critical breakdown).
• Director Marc Webb’s handling of the large‑scale spectacle was praised in parts, but the emotional core – the romance between Snow White and the Prince – was widely seen as flat.

How did early reactions compare to final reviews?

• Some early social‑media posts called the film “beautiful” and “a fresh take”, but those quickly gave way to a wave of disappointed reviews after the embargo lifted. The contrast suggests a marketing campaign that couldn’t sustain its positive spin once the public actually watched the movie.

What this means: the creative gamble of rewriting a classic for modern audiences failed to win over either traditionalists or new viewers, leaving the film in a critical no‑man’s‑land.

What is the issue with Rachel Zegler in Snow White?

• The controversy centres on Zegler’s public comments about the original 1937 animated film. In interviews, she called the old story “dated” and criticised its romance as “weird” – remarks that drew immediate backlash from fans who saw them as disrespectful (YouTube commentary, controversy timeline).
• Zegler later told ABC News Australia that therapy and medication helped her cope with the backlash, which she said she found “really confusing.”

What ethnicity is Rachel Zegler?

• Zegler is of Colombian and Polish descent. She identifies as a Latina actress, and her casting as Snow White – a character traditionally depicted as white – sparked debate about race and representation in Hollywood (YouTube commentary, casting discussion).

What did Rachel Zegler say about the original story?

• Beyond calling the romance “weird,” Zegler said the original film treated Snow White as a damsel waiting for a prince. In the 2025 version, the character is re‑imagined as a leader, not a passive princess.

How did Disney respond to the backlash?

• Disney did not publicly defend Zegler or distance itself from her comments. The studio instead focused marketing on the film’s visual effects and the return of classic songs. According to reports, internal tensions between the star and the studio contributed to a muted press tour (ABC News Australia).

The trade‑off: Zegler’s outspokenness may have alienated conservative viewers, but it also energised younger, progressive audiences – a split that the film’s box office ultimately failed to bridge.

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

• Multiple reports describe the two stars as having “nothing in common.” An article covering the film’s promotion quoted anonymous sources saying Gadot and Zegler barely interacted on set and had no off‑screen friendship (That Park Place, behind‑the‑scenes reporting).
• Neither actor has publicly confirmed or denied a feud. Zegler’s comments about the original story were made separately, and Gadot largely avoided addressing the controversy.

What reports suggest tension between the two?

• Online speculation exploded after a red‑carpet interview where the two seemed stiff and avoided eye contact. No smoking‑gun incident has emerged, but the lack of any joint promotional appearances after the premiere fuelled the rumour mill.

How did their personal backgrounds differ?

• Gadot, an Israeli actress and former Miss Israel, is a seasoned action star (Wonder Woman). Zegler, a 23‑year‑old Broadway‑trained newcomer, rose to fame with West Side Story (2021). The generational and stylistic gap made chemistry on screen an uphill battle.

Why this matters: when the leads of a $200+ million film can’t project warmth, it affects the audience’s emotional investment. The rumoured distance between Gadot and Zegler probably contributed to the film’s weak word‑of‑mouth.

How did Snow White become the year’s most cursed movie?

• The phrase “cursed production” has been used repeatedly in media coverage. A combination of factors – multiple delays, script rewrites, a pandemic‑era shoot, and the steady drip of negative headlines – created a narrative that the film was doomed from the start (ABC News Australia).
• The film was announced in 2020 and took five years to reach theaters – longer than most live‑action remakes. Each delay allowed online controversy to fester.

What production delays and reshoots occurred?

• Principal photography wrapped in 2023, but extensive reshoots were ordered in early 2024 after test screenings. Reports from That Park Place claim the reshoots alone added tens of millions to the budget.
• The original director, Marc Webb, remained through the process, but creative disagreements with producers reportedly caused friction.

Did the controversies affect the final product?

• Almost certainly. The script was rewritten to distance the film from the original’s most criticised elements (the prince’s kiss, the passive heroine), but the result pleased neither traditionalists nor modern critics. The film’s confused identity is a direct product of trying to satisfy too many loud voices.

The pattern: when external noise infiltrates every stage of filmmaking, the creative process becomes defensive rather than inspired. Snow White is a textbook case of how a ‘cursed’ label can become a self‑fulfilling prophecy.

“I found [the backlash] really confusing.”

Rachel Zegler, speaking to ABC News Australia

“Disney loses $170 million with ‘Snow White’ flop.”

Fox Business report, as summarised by That Park Place

For Disney, the lesson is cold and costly. A film that was supposed to celebrate one of the company’s oldest princesses instead became a warning about the limits of brand nostalgia. For Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, the fallout is personal – but for the studio, the numbers alone are punishment enough. The next live‑action remake will have to be near perfect to escape the shadow Snow White has cast. For Disney’s board, the choice is clear: rethink the remake pipeline, or keep gambling on fairy tales that may no longer have a happy ending.

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