‘Snow White’ Sets Sights on $50 Million Domestic Box Office Weekend Total

March 19, 2025

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Disney’s Snow White remake has been in plenty of headlines as of late, but, more often than not, they have little to do with the movie itself. In fact, early critic reactions suggest that the latest live-action reimagining surpasses expectations, especially thanks to an inspired performance by the lead, Rachel Zegler. It’s a somewhat surprising turn of events considering the hate campaign that has been thrown at the movie’s star, but it seems it will take some time for audiences to warm up to the film, as box office projections reveal a middling opening weekend debut.

According to the latest projects, Snow White is looking at a domestic debut of between $45 and $55 million at the weekend box office. Meanwhile, the global weekend tally could reach $100 million, putting the live-action remake at around $150 million by Monday morning. The budget for Snow White is reportedly upwards of $250 million, and that’s well before the admittedly limited marketing campaign is factored in. As of right now, it is looking like an uphill climb for Disney to gain some major profit from their latest reimagining, but if it follows the trend of Mufasa: The Lion King, it could have some strong legs in the coming weeks. However, reaching the heights of films like Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King is very unrealistic.

Rachel Zegler not being white is not controversial, and it’s time to stop treating it as an actual critique of ‘Snow White’ and call it out.

Snow White ranks among the bottom half in opening weekend box office totals for live-action Disney movie remakes/sequels. The closest comparison is Dumbo, which grossed $45 million during its opening weekend from a $170 million production budget. Meanwhile, other titles well below those two films are Mulan, Cruella ($21 million), Maleficent: Mistress of Evil ($36 million), and Alice Through the Looking Glass ($26 million). Of course, one major factor in some of the aforementioned totals was the COVID-19 pandemic, while others, like the Alice in Wonderland sequel, were simply examples of statistical and critical misfires by the studio.

Rachel Zelger Reveals How a Legendary Filmmaker Helped Her Land ‘Snow White’

Snow White star Rachel Zegler — Walt Disney Studios

As Snow White looks to rewrite history at the box office, Rachel Zegler, who is receiving major praise for her performance, revealed to Jimmy Kimmel that an Academy Award-winning director helped her land the lead role. “I actually got a really glowing recommendation from Steven Spielberg,” the actress said. Zegler noted that the West Side Story director probably knew she got the gig well before she was officially notified by the studio.

“I also got a text from Steven kind of alluding to the fact that I had gotten the part before I found out. I wished him a Happy Father’s Day, as one does, and he texted me a bunch of apple emojis as a response. He was giving Taylor Swift Easter eggs about my casting.”

Of course, despite the recommendation, Zegler still had to go through a rigorous audition process. The Spielberg assist likely went a long way, however. Since West Side Story, Zegler has been cast in several major blockbusters, including Snow White, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. The one throughline is that she has been universally praised in all of them, and it seems the Disney remake is among her best performances yet.

Source: Deadline