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

Snow White has faced a challenging start at the box office, posting one of the weakest domestic openings among Disney's live-action remakes to date. Directed by Marc Webb (known for *The Amazing Spider-Man* films), the movie brought in $43 million during its debut weekend in 2025—enough to claim the top spot for the week and marking the second-largest opening of the year so far, behind only *Captain America: Brave New World*. However, this figure falls short of expectations and even trails slightly behind the $45 million domestic launch of *Dumbo* back in 2019.

For comparison, several previous Disney remakes had significantly stronger starts: *The Lion King* (2019), *Beauty and the Beast* (2017), *The Jungle Book* (2016), and *The Little Mermaid* (2023) all opened with over $100 million domestically. The international performance was similarly muted, contributing an additional $44.3 million and bringing the global total to $87.3 million according to Comscore estimates.

A High Budget With High Stakes

*Snow White* stars Rachel Zegler in the iconic title role, alongside Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, in a musical reimagining of Disney’s groundbreaking 1937 animated film. With a reported production budget exceeding $250 million, the film now faces significant pressure to recoup its costs, especially when marketing expenses are factored into the equation.

Room for Hope Despite Slow Start

However, all is not lost. There is precedent for films that underwhelm early on but gain momentum over time. Case in point: *Mufasa: The Lion King*, which opened poorly with just $35.4 million domestically in December 2024, yet went on to gross over $717 million globally. Disney may be banking on a similar “sleeper hit” trajectory for *Snow White*, particularly amid growing concerns around the box office performance of *Captain America: Brave New World*.

Captain America: Brave New World Holds Steady

Speaking of which, *Captain America: Brave New World* has now earned $400.8 million worldwide after six weeks of release—$192.1 million from domestic audiences and $208.7 million internationally. While it remains a key franchise player, its slower-than-expected run has sparked industry-wide conversations about shifting audience preferences and theatrical demand for Marvel titles.

Critical Reception

On the critical front, *Snow White* received a 7/10 from IGN. Reviewers praised the film for offering a meaningful reinterpretation of the original classic rather than simply retreading familiar ground. The review noted: “Snow White is a live-action Disney remake that meaningfully adapts its original, rather than creating a lesser mimicry.”