Disney's 2025 'Snow White' remake flops at box office

Loses $168 million despite its previous version being a major success

Disney's 2025 live-action remake of Snow White has resulted in significant financial losses, according to recently released data from Forbes.

The film earned $205.7 million during its theatrical run, but production and other costs led to a loss of approximately $167.8 million for the studio.

European financial disclosures indicate that Disney invested over $300 million in producing Snow White, with additional expenses from marketing and unforeseen incidents, such as a fire that destroyed the original set and required costly rebuilding. Factoring in the "50-50 split" with investors further reduced potential profits, contributing to the steep losses.

Industry analysts point to multiple factors behind the film's underperformance. Controversy surrounding lead actress Rachel Zegler, whose political stances drew significant public attention before release, generated polarized responses. Additionally, creative decisions, including updates to the classic story's seven dwarves, created further debate among fans and critics.

The loss does not include future revenue streams, such as Blu-ray, video-on-demand, and streaming sales, which may offset some of the deficit. Marketing costs, which are typically substantial for major Disney releases, were also not included in the reported loss.

Despite Disney's reputation for successful live-action remakes of animated classics, Snow White struggled both critically and commercially. The combination of high production expenses, marketing challenges, and a polarizing lead contributed to the film's disappointing financial performance.

The film serves as a cautionary example for major studios navigating remakes of beloved properties, highlighting the risks associated with large budgets, creative choices, and audience expectations. Disney's next live-action adaptation projects will likely be closely watched for lessons learned from this box office shortfall.

On October 31, 2016, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Walt Disney Pictures was developing a live-action remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, with Marc Platt, an avid fan of the original film, signed on as lead producer and Erin Cressida Wilson being in talks to write the screenplay. Callum McDougall, in his third producing collaboration with Disney and Platt, serves as an executive producer.

On May 30, 2019, it was reported that Marc Webb was in talks to direct. In November 2021, Greta Gerwig was reported to be co-writing the screenplay. Wilson ultimately received sole credit for the screenplay; Gerwig, Jez Butterworth, Steven Levenson, Jeff Nathanson, Victoria Strouse and Chris Weitz each received an "additional literary material" credit from the Writers Guild of America, although they are not credited in the film itself.

In June 2021, Rachel Zegler was cast in the title role. The casting of an actress of Latina descent as Snow White, who is described in the original Grimm fairy tale as having skin "as white as snow", was met with criticism from some quarters. Zegler responded to the criticism in January 2022, stating that Snow White is popular in Spanish-speaking countries and that casting a Latina actress in the role was significant due to its rarity. Zegler's casting was solidified through a "glowing recommendation" to Webb from Steven Spielberg, who directed Zegler as María in his 2021 film adaptation of West Side Story.

In November 2021, Gal Gadot was cast as the Evil Queen. A new casting search for an actress to star as a younger version of Snow White was launched and Emilia Faucher was cast.