Disney’s 2025 live-action remake of Snow White, starring Rachel Zegler as the titular princess and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, was meant to be a magical reimagining of the 1937 animated classic that launched the studio’s legacy. Instead, the film has become one of Disney’s most notorious flops, grossing a mere $194 million worldwide against a budget estimated at $240–270 million, as reported by ScreenRant on April 25, 2025. The fallout has been catastrophic, with a re-release on May 12, 2025, earning a pitiful $252 per screen across 1,000 U.S. cinemas, according to The Telegraph. Amid this financial disaster, a rumor has surfaced: is Disney demanding money back from Zegler and Gadot to recoup their losses? While unverified, this claim has sparked heated debate, raising questions about accountability, celebrity backlash, and Disney’s struggling live-action remake strategy.

The Snow White remake was embroiled in controversy long before its March 21, 2025, release. Zegler, who rose to fame with a Golden Globe-winning performance in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 West Side Story, faced backlash for her comments about the original animated film, calling it “dated” and describing the Prince as a “stalker,” as noted by London Theatre Reviews. These remarks alienated some fans, who felt she disrespected a beloved classic, leading to a wave of online criticism and review-bombing campaigns, as reported by the Daily Mail on April 9, 2025. Gadot, a former IDF instructor and proud Israeli, also drew ire for her pro-Israel stance, particularly after Zegler posted “free Palestine” on X in August 2024, just 24 hours after the film’s teaser trailer debuted, per the Daily Mail on April 14, 2025. The political tension between the stars reportedly led to a falling out, with Variety noting that producer Marc Platt flew to New York to ask Zegler to curb her social media activity—a request she followed with a controversial “f*** Donald Trump” post after the 2024 election.

The film faced additional hurdles, including criticism over its CGI dwarfs—altered after actor Peter Dinklage called out the original casting approach—and a Lebanon ban due to Gadot’s Israeli nationality, as reported by Fox News on April 17, 2025. Filming delays from the COVID-19 pandemic, SAG-AFTRA strikes, and a fire on set ballooned the budget, requiring costly reshoots to salvage the original cut, according to ScreenRant on May 5, 2025. Critics were lukewarm, with Rotten Tomatoes giving it a 40% Tomatometer score; ScreenRant’s Rachel Labonte scored it 5/10, praising Zegler’s luminous performance but criticizing Gadot’s flat Evil Queen and the film’s “artificial sheen.” Audiences were slightly more forgiving, with a 72% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes, per Forbes on May 7, 2025, but the damage was done: the film is projected to lose Disney $115 million, per the Daily Mail on April 9, 2025.

Against this backdrop, the rumor that Disney is demanding money back from Zegler and Gadot emerged, though no reputable outlet has confirmed it as of May 13, 2025. The claim aligns with the studio’s reported frustration over the film’s failure, which some insiders attribute to the stars’ controversies. An X post by @vianratulangi on March 31, 2025, falsely claimed Zegler was fired by Disney and demanded compensation after shouting “free Palestine” at Gadot on stage—an unverified and likely fabricated story, given no such incident has been documented. However, the idea of Disney seeking financial recourse from its stars isn’t entirely implausible in Hollywood, where contracts often include performance-based clauses. Still, without evidence, this rumor must be treated as speculative, possibly fueled by the intense online vitriol both actresses have faced.

Critically examining this narrative, the notion that Disney would publicly demand money back from Zegler and Gadot seems far-fetched. Both actresses are high-profile talents with significant fanbases, and such a move would risk further damaging Disney’s reputation, already battered by Snow White’s failure. Zegler, at 23, has a promising career ahead, with recent successes like The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023) and a Broadway run in Romeo + Juliet that recouped its $7 million capitalization by February 2025, per the Daily Mail on May 1, 2025. Gadot, despite the backlash, remains a Hollywood powerhouse, recently honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 18, 2025, as noted by The Times of Israel on April 9, 2025. Forcing them to repay funds would likely alienate talent and set a dangerous precedent for the industry, where box office failures are often a shared risk.

The real fallout from Snow White lies in its broader implications for Disney and its stars. The film’s failure follows a pattern of underperforming live-action remakes, such as 2023’s The Little Mermaid, which also struggled, per ScreenRant on April 13, 2025. Disney’s strategy of remaking classics has been hit-or-miss, with Snow White marking a low point due to its massive budget and inability to recoup costs, even with digital releases on May 13, 2025, as reported by Forbes on May 7, 2025. The studio’s attempt to re-release the film in theaters was a disaster, earning just $252 per screen, per The Telegraph on May 12, 2025—a move that Laika marketing officer David Burke claimed was driven by demand from fans who discovered it on home media, per Variety. This miscalculation suggests a disconnect between Disney’s expectations and audience interest, compounded by the film’s controversies.

For Zegler and Gadot, the fallout has been both personal and professional. Zegler’s comments on Snow White and her political posts, including the “free Palestine” statement, drew ire from conservative circles, with journalist Megyn Kelly calling her a “pig,” per Ynetnews on April 6, 2025. Gadot faced death threats over her pro-Israel stance, prompting Disney to provide additional security, according to Variety on April 9, 2025. Their reported feud—evident at the 97th Academy Awards, where they presented an award together but avoided eye contact, per Ynetnews—further fueled negative press, with Gadot promoting the film solo at Disneyland while Zegler stayed away. Zegler has since moved on, landing a role in the comedy-drama She Gets It From Me with Marisa Tomei, per People on April 30, 2025, while Gadot is filming a new thriller, signaling both actresses’ intent to leave the Snow White drama behind.

The cultural context of Snow White’s failure is telling. The Nation on April 8, 2025, argued that the film got caught in Hollywood’s culture wars, with Zegler’s pro-Palestine stance and Gadot’s IDF background amplifying backlash in a polarized climate. Yet, the article notes that Gallup and Harvard/Harris polls show the Gaza conflict didn’t rank among the top 10 issues in the 2024 U.S. election, suggesting the stars’ politics may not have been the primary driver of the film’s failure. Instead, aesthetic critiques—lackluster visuals, Gadot’s underwhelming performance, and a “bashful treatment” of the source material, per Forbes—likely played a larger role, alongside market saturation from other musicals like Wicked and Mufasa.

Critically, the rumor of Disney demanding money back reflects a tendency to scapegoat stars for systemic failures. Zegler and Gadot, while not blameless, are not solely responsible for Snow White’s flop. Disney’s decision to greenlight a $270 million remake, push through reshoots, and re-release a failing film points to broader strategic missteps. The studio’s live-action remake formula, once a guaranteed success with hits like The Lion King, is showing cracks, and Snow White may force a reckoning. Meanwhile, Zegler’s career resilience—seen in her upcoming Evita role at the London Palladium, despite its own ticket sales struggles—suggests she’ll weather this storm, as will Gadot, whose Hollywood stature remains intact.

The Snow White fallout is a cautionary tale about the risks of remaking classics in a polarized era. Whether Disney ever demanded money back from Zegler and Gadot remains unconfirmed, but the rumor underscores the intense pressure on stars to shoulder blame for a studio’s failures. As Disney looks to future remakes like Lilo & Stitch and Moana, per ScreenRant on May 5, 2025, the lessons of Snow White loom large: in the battle for audience hearts, even the fairest of them all can fall.