Disney's 'Snow White' falls short despite topping American box office
What's the story
Disney's live-action remake of Snow White has opened to disappointing box office figures, even as it topped in the US.
The film, which was released last week, earned $43 million domestically and $44.3 million internationally.
However, its global opening tally of $87.3 million was below the anticipated $100 million opening, according to Variety.
This is now the lowest US opening for a Disney remake yet.
Budget and earnings
'Snow White' underperformed despite high expectations
With a budget of more than $250 million, Snow White had started with high hopes.
The film's worldwide gross of $87.3 million was below its expected worldwide figure near $100 million, prompting concerns about Disney's plans for future live-action remakes.
Other Disney remakes like The Jungle Book, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King all opened above $100 million.
Snow White was still able to end above other releases over the weekend in North America though.
Box office competition
'Snow White' faces little competition in coming weeks
In the next few weeks, Snow White will have hardly any direct competition at the US box office.
Warner Bros.'s Alto Knights, a period gangster flick headlined by Robert De Niro, was a complete misfire, debuting with just $3.2 million from 2,651 theaters.
The disappointment-strewn weekend only thickened a rough 2025 for Hollywood, with the box office down 6.9% YOY and 38.6% from 2019.
Indian box office
'Snow White' underwhelmed in India
In India, Snow White had a poor opening, collecting only around ₹3 crore according to early estimates on Sacnilk.
The film opened its Indian box office run with a collection of ₹65 lakh. It witnessed some growth over the weekend, earning an estimated ₹1.19 crore on Saturday and ₹1.24 crore on Sunday, bringing its total to an estimated ₹3.08 crore in three days.
Criticism
Controversies and poor reviews plagued 'Snow White'
Snow White was embroiled in multiple controversies ahead of its release, including backlash for its use of CGI for the dwarfs and remarks from lead actor Rachel Zegler. However, analysts think the controversies didn't affect ticket sales much.
Critics were mostly unimpressed with the "disappointing" reimagining of the classic, giving it a paltry 43% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Read NewsBytes's review here.