Disney’s baffling decision to re-release its live-action Snow White remake this past weekend has resulted in one of the most humiliating flops the studio has ever experienced — and that’s saying something in the post-Wish era.
Initially intended as a crowd-puller for Mother’s Day weekend, Snow White was dropped into over 1,300 theaters across the United States. The result? A pathetic haul of just over $200k, averaging just $50 per theater.
That’s not a typo. $50. Per. Theater.
Rachel Zegler singing the original song “Waiting on a Wish” from Disney’s Snow White live action remake – YouTube, Disney
It’s a result so dreadful it evokes memories of Sony’s ill-fated Morbius re-release, which became a meme for how disconnected studios can be from their audiences. Disney, it seems, didn’t learn the lesson.
A Tale of Two Flops
The original release of the Snow White remake already stumbled hard out of the gate. Laden with controversy from the start, the film starred Rachel Zegler, whose repeated public criticism of the original 1937 animated classic quickly soured public sentiment. Zegler’s remarks about the original film being “weird,” “creepy,” and “outdated” drew widespread backlash, especially when combined with her political posturing and the film’s significant rewrites to the beloved fairytale.
Rachel Zegler as Snow White in Snow White (2025), Walt Disney Studios
The result? A global box office run totaling just $202.5 million — a massive miss when weighed against its ballooning budget reportedly soaring to more than $300 million due to excessive reshoots. That’s before marketing. The losses were so severe, insiders projected Disney would be in the red by well over $100 million.
But apparently that wasn’t enough. Disney went back to the well with this Snow White re-release this past weekend… and audiences overwhelmingly said, “No thanks.”
The Re-Release Nobody Asked For
Disney’s logic behind its Snow White re-release remains unclear. Was it a contractual obligation with theaters? A misguided test balloon for potential awards campaigning? A last-ditch effort to boost streaming hype?
Whatever the reason, it backfired spectacularly.
Rachel Zegler as Snow White in Disney’s live-action SNOW WHITE. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2024 Disney Enterprises Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Bringing a box office reject back into theaters just two months after audiences already rejected it is, at best, wishful thinking. At worst, it’s a complete misread of market conditions. Unlike legacy films such as Revenge of The Sith or The Lion King that enjoy profitable re-releases thanks to enduring popularity, Snow White was already tainted by controversy, lackluster storytelling, and the stench of political baggage.
And audiences simply don’t want to see it. Again.
Disney’s Identity Crisis
What’s most concerning is how out of touch this move makes Disney appear. The studio is clearly reeling from a string of box office underperformers — Wish, The Marvels, The Little Mermaid, Captain America: Brave New World, and now Snow White. Each of these films has been tied not just to weak storytelling, but to studio decisions that seem more focused on political messaging than connecting with the paying audience.
Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen in Disney’s live-action SNOW WHITE. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2024 Disney Enterprises Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This wasn’t just a bad decision — it was a costly one. Thousands of theater screens were tied up with a product that had already proven it had no staying power. That’s real estate that could’ve gone to any number of indie breakouts trying to gain traction.
Instead, those theaters were saddled with a movie that, in some venues, likely didn’t even sell a single ticket all weekend.
A Lesson Disney Still Hasn’t Learned
This Snow White re-release was a mistake. A costly one. A predictable one. And one that highlights just how far Disney has drifted from its audience.
The original animated Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was a revolutionary moment in cinema — the first full-length animated feature film in history. This remake, by contrast, will now be remembered for tanking not once, but twice. That’s an achievement no studio should be proud of.
Dopey in the Live Action Snow White movie – YouTube, Disney
If there’s any magic left in Disney’s kingdom, it might be time to rediscover what made the originals so timeless — and stop treating its own classics like punchlines.
Are you surprised that Disney put out this Snow White re-release? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
