Disney's Snow White Earns $43M, Falls Short of Projections Amid Controversies

Disney's live-action adaptation of "Snow White" faced a disappointing debut at the domestic box office over the weekend, earning only $43 million. This figure is significantly lower than the projected range of $48 million to $58 million, despite the film's substantial production cost of approximately $270 million. The underperformance can be attributed to a series of controversies that surrounded the film leading up to its release.

Industry analysts, however, remain optimistic about the film's potential for growth. "Snow White" has already outperformed other recent releases such as "The Black Bag" by Focus Features, which grossed $4.4 million, and Disney's own "Captain America: New World," which earned $4.1 million. The lack of direct competition for family audiences is expected to benefit the film in the coming weeks, allowing it to find its footing gradually.

David A. Gross, the head of FranchiseRe, a film consulting company, described this weekend's performance as the "locomotive pulling the train," indicating a steady increase in ticket sales over time. He noted that as a Disney film, "Snow White" is likely to attract a broader audience despite its initial setbacks.

Comparatively, the live-action adaptation of "Snow White" falls short of the success achieved by Disney's 2015 release of "Cinderella," which grossed $91.8 million in its opening weekend. The inconsistent success of Disney's princess-themed films can be attributed to changing audience preferences and an oversaturation of remakes. Paul Dergarabedian, an analyst, suggested that audiences may be experiencing "aesthetic fatigue" with live-action remakes of classic animated films, which could have contributed to the underwhelming performance of "Snow White."

The film has been at the center of a cultural debate due to the casting of Rachel Zegler, a Colombian-American actress, as Snow White, and Gal Gadot, an Israeli actress, as the Evil Queen. Additionally, the decision to reimagine the seven dwarfs as magical creatures drew criticism from Peter Dinklage, an actor known for his role in "Game of Thrones."

Gross speculated that Zegler's casting may have diverted attention from the film, as some audiences prefer original stories with diverse characters over remakes with altered roles. However, Shawn Robbins, the chief analyst at Fandango and founder of Box Office Theory, believes that these controversies are unlikely to significantly impact the film's core audience, which includes families and young girls. Robbins pointed out that general movie-goers decide whether to watch a film based on its trailer or word-of-mouth recommendations, rather than being swayed by controversies.

Despite a recent decline in theater attendance and a 7% drop in box office revenue over the past three weeks, Robbins remains optimistic about the industry's recovery. The upcoming release of "A Minecraft Movie" by Warner Brothers on April 4th is expected to boost ticket sales, as it is likely to attract family audiences and children. Dergarabedian predicts that the box office landscape will change significantly in the coming weeks, with the release of major summer blockbusters.

Overall, while "Snow White" has had a lackluster start, industry experts remain hopeful that it will find its audience and contribute to Disney's ongoing success in the live-action remake genre. The film's performance will be closely monitored as it continues its theatrical run, with the potential for a rebound in the coming weeks.