Summary
Snow Whitehas been surrounded by controversies from the moment it announced Rachel Zegler’s casting for the titular role. The live-action adaptation is now showing, but it underperforms at the box office, which isn’t really surprising.
Disney’s live-action adaptation ofSnow Whitehas been making headlines for the wrong reasons — due to the controversies involving its stars. It received an intense backlash when it decided to cast Zegler, a Latina, asSnow White. To make matters worse, Zegler has been outspoken about her dislike of the original version, wanting to change the narrative and make Snow White an independent and strong leader, to the dismay of fans who loved the classic version. Zegler wanted to create a new version of the Disney princess – someone who doesn’t need a prince charming to save her, which many believed was a completely different route from the original story.
Snow Whitetook the top spot at the weekend box office, but it actually underperformed because it didn’t achieve the projected ticket sales.Snow Whitetook in $44.3 million domestically, and a grand total of $87.3 million globally, far behind the projected $100 million estimate.
BeforeSnow Whitehit theaters, the early reactions were promising. Skyler Shuler, co-founder of The DisInsider and host of DisInsiderPods, shared a brief thought about the movie on X, formerly Twitter, and said it was “pure Disney magic.” He didn’t want to share too much because the review embargo wasn’t lifted at the time. According to him, those who enjoyedAlladinorCinderellawould loveSnow Whitetoo. However, when it finally hit theaters, the audience had another experience. While many said they enjoyed it, several others were disappointed and this was evident in itsRotten Tomatoes score. It only received 44% from 186 critics, but it got a better score from over 1,000 audiences. However, it is still relatively low at 74% as of this writing. New York Times' top critic Manohla Dargis said it was mediocre. Meanwhile, New Statesman’s Pippa Bailey said it was “so bland it barely registers.”
Snow Whiteis among the anticipated movies this year, but the controversies surrounding it definitely affect many’s interest in watching the film.Snow Whitewas announced in 2016 and was released nearly a decade later. The long wait should have given production enough time to perfect the live-action adaptation, but many questioned the film’s direction and the lengthy time only subjected it to more controversies due to its lead stars' political stance. Some felt that Disney had continuously disappointed them when it came to live-action adaptations.
Among the concerns were the changes done in the story.David Hale Hand, the son of Disney animator David Hand, who worked on the originalSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs,said he would not watch the movie after hearing how they changed Snow White into a completely different character. “The original was the way it should be. From what I’ve read, [the new film] bears no reflection to the original story,” he said. His wife, Sandra Hand, shared the same opinion, even calling out Zegler for refusing to sing Snow White’s song “Some Day My Prince Will Come.” Sandra said Snow White loved her Prince Charming and the seven dwarfs and “not someone brandishing a Palestinian flag.” Despite the criticisms, many said the film was surprisingly good that it moved them to tears. However, the positive reviews were not enough to convince the others to give Zegler’sSnow Whitea chance of a happy ever after.
