‘Snow White’s’ Box Office Collapse Suggests Ominous Trend

“Twitter isn’t real life.”

That phrase gets repeated often in today’s world. It suggests that what’s trending online doesn’t always reflect reality.

And there’s plenty of truth to that maxim.

Many people don’t live and die by what’s shown on Twitter, now known as X thanks to Elon Musk. They have more important things to do, like going to work or tucking their children in at night.

Some don’t even watch those witty video takedowns by Film Threat or The Critical Drinker. (Their loss, but still…)

That philosophy was Disney’s last, best hope when it came to “Snow White.” Few modern films have been hit by online scandals quite like this live-action update of a Mouse House classic.

Here’s a short primer:

• Disney ditches dwarves for fear of insulting the Little People community
• Disney inserts CGI dwarves into the film following blowback from “magical creatures” movie still
• Reshoots (and dueling Hollywood strikes) delayed the film’s release by a full year
• Star Rachel Zegler calls original “Snow White” film weird, dated and stalker-y
• Zegler says Trump voters should “never know peace“

None of that built positive buzz for the film. Just the opposite.

Team Disney hoped those digital dustups wouldn’t affect the film’s bottom line. Those hopes collapsed this weekend.

The film, up until recently pegged at a $65-70 million opening haul, will be lucky to push past the mid $40 million mark, according to Deadline.com.

Here’s how recent Disney live-action updates have fared on opening weekend (courtesy of Box Office Mojo):

• “The Lion King” (2019) – $191 million 
• “Aladdin” (2019) – $91 million 
• “The Jungle Book” (2016) – $103 million
• “Dumbo” (2019) – $45 million
• “The Little Mermaid” (2023) – $95 million

“Snow White” hasn’t been helped by tepid reviews – 44 percent “rotten” currently at Rotten Tomatoes. 

Still, a beloved Disney property like “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” is supposed to stomp the competition.

Not this time.

The film may still have “legs” at the box office, given its family-friendly nature and the chronic need for PG films in the marketplace. “Mufasa: The Lion King” opened in a similar fashion but stuck around for weeks for a $253 million stateside haul.

That doesn’t hide an ugly truth about “Snow White’s” box office rollout. Social media became all too real for “Snow White.” Is that the New Normal or a blip on the pop culture radar?

Either way, it’s a lesson movie marketers, and the stars themselves might note moving forward.