With humiliating box office numbers and historic audience backlash, Disney’s live-action Snow White becomes one of the biggest failures in Hollywood history

The box office run for Disney‘s live-action remake of Snow White has officially come to a crashing halt – and the results are even worse than anyone predicted.

Released on March 19, the film quickly sank under the weight of poor ticket sales, critical panning, and public backlash, ultimately cementing its place as one of Disney‘s most costly and embarrassing failures.

Despite a global marketing push and heavy promotion, Snow White struggled from the start, debuting with a dismal $42 million opening weekend. Early hopes that the film would find its legs internationally never materialized.

Each subsequent weekend saw massive audience drop-offs, including a brutal 66 percent fall in its second weekend alone. By late April, the writing was on the wall: the movie’s theatrical life was essentially over.

Box office collapse leaves Disney facing historic losses

According to industry reports, including Deadline, Disney had initially hoped Snow White would bring in at least $225 million globally. Even with that modest target, the company was staring at a projected $115 million loss against a massive $410 million budget (production and marketing combined).

Reality turned out even worse. By the end of its box office run, Snow White had earned just $194.7 million worldwide – $30 million below projections. That pushes Disney‘s estimated losses to an eye-watering $145 million, a staggering figure even for one of the entertainment industry’s biggest players.

Daily earnings in its final days paint an even bleaker picture. On one Thursday alone, the film made just $88,830 across 1,650 theaters – an average of about $53 per theater. That translates to only about three or four tickets sold per showing.

Critical reception was just as brutal. On IMDb, Snow White plummeted to a shocking 1.6/10 rating based on nearly 200,000 votes – ranking it lower than notorious flops like Disaster Movie and Battlefield Earth.

Controversy surrounding lead actress Rachel Zegler didn’t help matters either. Zegler’s politically charged comments during the press tour alienated portions of the traditional Disney audience and fueled negative coverage across social media.

Meanwhile, even family members associated with the production voiced concerns. Criticism pointed not only to the film’s creative decisions but to Disney‘s increasing focus on divisive messaging rather than universal storytelling – a formula that once made the company legendary.

Will Disney learn from Snow White disaster?

The failure of Snow White raises serious questions about the direction of Disney‘s content strategy. Once celebrated for crafting timeless tales that appealed to all ages, Disney now finds itself accused of prioritizing political signaling over compelling storytelling.

As Disney‘s stock continues to underperform the broader market – trailing the S&P 500 by more than 100 percent over the past five years – CEO Bob Iger faces mounting pressure to steer the company back to its roots.

Whether Disney truly learns from this debacle remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: when you abandon story, creativity, and audience connection, even the fairest of fairy tales can turn into a nightmare at the box office.