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

Snow White, the latest live-action remake from Disney, directed by Marc Webb of The Amazing Spider-Man fame, experienced a challenging start at the box office. The film opened to a domestic total of $43 million, marking it as the second highest debut of 2025 so far, trailing only behind the MCU's Captain America: Brave New World. Despite topping the week's chart, Snow White fell short of the opening weekend earnings of Disney's 2019 live-action Dumbo, which secured $45 million, and did not meet industry expectations.

For perspective, other Disney live-action remakes have performed significantly better during their opening weekends. The Lion King (2019), Beauty and the Beast (2017), The Jungle Book (2016), and The Little Mermaid (2023) all surpassed the $100 million mark domestically in their debut weekends.

Internationally, Snow White's performance was similarly subdued, pulling in $44.3 million over its opening weekend. This brings the film's global box office total to $87.3 million, according to Comscore estimates.

Snow White is a reimagining of Disney's 1937 animated classic, featuring Rachel Zegler in the titular role and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen. With a reported production budget exceeding $250 million, the film faces a steep challenge to reach profitability, particularly when factoring in marketing expenses.

However, there is a glimmer of hope for Snow White. Disney's Mufasa: The Lion King, a prequel to the 2019 remake, also had a modest start with a $35.4 million domestic opening but ultimately grossed over $717 million worldwide. Disney will be looking for Snow White to follow a similar path as a sleeper hit, especially as questions continue to swirl around the performance of Captain America: Brave New World, which has earned $400.8 million globally after six weekends.

IGN's review of Snow White was positive, awarding it a 7/10 and noting that it "meaningfully adapts its original, rather than creating a lesser mimicry."