Disney’s Snow White Struggles with Underwhelming $43M Debut at Domestic Box Office

Disney’s Snow White Struggles with Underwhelming $43M Debut at Domestic Box Office

Disney’s latest live-action adaptation may be a fairytale classic, but its box office debut was more “Sleepy” than “Happy.”

Snow White, the studio’s reimagining of its 1937 animated landmark, opened to a modest $43 million at the domestic box office, despite a production budget reportedly exceeding $250 million. Globally, the film fared somewhat better, earning $87.3 million from 52 international markets.

While the film’s slow start is not entirely unexpected—especially after a turbulent production marred by controversy—Disney may still find reason for optimism. Previous remakes like The Little Mermaid (2023) opened to similar skepticism, yet ultimately grossed nearly $570 million worldwide after a 12-week run, despite debuting with just $95 million domestically.

Starring Rachel Zegler as Snow White and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, the film did manage to notch one notable win: dethroning Ne Zha 2, the Chinese animated epic that had held the global box office crown for eight straight weeks. That film, based on the 16th-century Chinese novel Investiture of the Gods, brought in $15 million this weekend and has now crossed $2.1 billion globally.

Back at the domestic box office, Steven Soderbergh’s espionage thriller Black Bag landed in second place, adding $4.4 million in its sophomore weekend for a cumulative $14.8 million. In third, Marvel’s Captain America: Brave New World continued its slow march, earning $4.1 million in its sixth week. The film has reached $192 million domestically and just surpassed $400 million worldwide—though it barely edges past its reported $180 million budget, which remains disputed.

Rounding out the domestic top five were Bong Joon Ho’s sci-fi drama Mickey 17, which earned $3.9 million this weekend for a $40.2 million total, and Jack Quaid’s bloody action-comedy Novocaine, which brought in $3.7 million and now sits at $15.7 million overall.

A more disappointing performance came from Alto Knights, the mob drama directed by Barry Levinson and starring Robert De Niro. Despite a cast that includes Debra Messing and breakout star Cosmo Jarvis, the film debuted in sixth place with just $3.1 million against a reported $45 million budget.

Another box office miss was Magazine Dreams, the bodybuilding drama starring Jonathan Majors. Once considered an awards contender after its buzzy Sundance premiere in 2023, the film’s momentum stalled following Majors’ arrest and subsequent conviction for assault and harassment. Opening in 815 theaters, the film brought in a mere $700,000, averaging just $859 per location.

The rest of the domestic top 10 includes:

• The Day the Earth Blew Up, a new Looney Tunes animated feature

• Horror film The Monkey, from Longlegs director Osgood Perkins

• DreamWorks’ animated family title Dog Man

• Faith-based indie The Last Supper

Globally, Mickey 17, Black Bag, and Brave New World rounded out the top five behind Snow White and Ne Zha 2, with earnings of $12 million, $7.4 million, and $7.1 million respectively.

Looking ahead, next weekend promises a diverse slate for moviegoers. Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega lead the quirky fantasy comedy Death of a Unicorn, while The Woman in the Yard marks Jaume Collet-Serra’s long-awaited return to horror. Also debuting is The Friend, a heartfelt literary adaptation starring Naomi Watts—and a giant Great Dane.

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