Audiences who've seen the live-action Snow White starring Rachel Zegler generally seem to like the movie. Unfortunately for Disney, the size of that audience simply hasn’t been what the studio hoped. Many are already drawing a line between the film’s controversies and its box office take. However, not everybody is convinced the movie flopped because it was “woke.”
From the point where Latina actress Rachel Zegler was announced as the lead in Snow White, the film was accused of being “woke,” leading many to decide years ago they were going to skip the film. Some have suggested that’s the reason the movie didn’t become a box office smash, but David A. Gross of movie consultancy FranchiseRe recently told Business Insider the reasons for the movie’s lack of success are far more mundane. He explained…
The movie isn't completely satisfying to the audiences who are attending. That, also, has nothing to do with woke. The movie simply isn't connecting creatively on the level of a big Disney hit.
Gross says that the mixed reviews for Snow White are more to blame than the movie’s perceived “wokeness.” While some have blamed Rachel Zegler herself for the film's failure, actual critics have generally seen the movie as simply insubstantial. Zegler has generally been receiving positive responses for her performance, making her casting seem like one of the best aspects of the movie.
These comments fall in line with a report from Deadline that compared the live-action remake's opening weekend numbers to other films and broke the numbers down by “red” states and “blue” states. It found that “red” state moviegoers actually saw Snow White in slightly higher percentages than other family and animated movies, certainly indicating those viewers were not staying away from the movie in unusual numbers.
While the politics involved may not have been the cause of the poor box office, that poor box office is still an issue. Snow White was reportedly a quite expensive film, which means it almost certainly will not be profitable by the time it leaves theaters. However, Gross points out that the box office is just the beginning for any Disney product, and the movie still has a multitude of ways to make money…
Theatrical is the first of many income streams. It's the locomotive pulling the train, and the train is long. The movie should have been better, but this is not the end of the world. It's not the end of the business for them at all.
Anecdotally, it seems that the children seeing Disney's fantasy flick are its biggest fans. My kids certainly loved Snow White, which likely means good things for the consumer products side of Disney. If the movie sells a lot of merch, it could still become a massive success. It wouldn’t be the first time. Walt Disney made far more money on Mickey Mouse dolls than he did on Mickey Mouse cartoons.
You can make up your own mind about Snow White by seeing it in theaters now. Also, you can use a Disney+ subscription to stream the original 1937 film along with other animated classics from the House of Mouse.
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