New Jersey Native’s Disney Dream Meets Box Office Reality
Rachel Zegler’s childhood dream of becoming a Disney princess has finally come true with the release of “Snow White,” but the film’s disappointing box office performance has overshadowed what the actress called a “life-changing experience.” The live-action remake of Disney’s 1937 animated classic opened to just $43 million over its four-day weekend against a reported budget of $250 million.
For Zegler, a 23-year-old Clifton, New Jersey native, starring as Snow White represents the fulfillment of a long-held ambition. “It’s a huge chunk of my heart and it’s now yours,” Zegler wrote in a lengthy Instagram post on the eve of the film’s release, as reported by North Jersey.
From Jersey Dreams to Disney Reality
Zegler’s journey to the role began years before she was cast. In 2017, she tweeted “i wanna be a real disney princess” alongside photos of herself portraying Ariel from “The Little Mermaid.” A year later, she reiterated her acting ambitions in another social media post, asking Disney to “let me voice a princess thanks.”
The actress, who was born in Hackensack and attended the now-closed Immaculate Conception High School in Lodi, described filming “Snow White” in London over three summers as the period when she “became a real adult.” The role adds to her rapidly growing resume, which includes a Golden Globe-winning performance as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” and a Broadway debut in “Romeo + Juliet” last fall.
Box Office Disappointment
Despite Zegler’s enthusiasm, the film’s financial performance has fallen far short of expectations. According to Showbiz411, the $43 million opening represents “a mini disaster for the Mouse House” given the film’s $250 million production budget.
National Review reported that this marks “the worst opening for a Disney live-action remake ever.” Industry analysts suggest the film would need to generate over $600 million globally to break even after accounting for marketing expenses and theatrical revenue splits.
Social media videos have highlighted apparent low attendance at some screenings. One video posted on X showed a largely empty theater, sarcastically captioned “So many people here to watch Snow White,” with commenters adding “Snow White and the Seven Viewers,” according to the Daily Mail.
Creative Decisions and Controversies
Industry observers have cited several factors contributing to the film’s underperformance, including controversial creative decisions. The remake eliminated the prince as Snow White’s love interest, replacing him with what National Review describes as “the Robin Hood-like leader of a bandit gang.” This change necessitated cutting the iconic song “Someday My Prince Will Come” from the film.
Further changes included reimagining the seven dwarfs as “magical creatures,” which some viewed as an attempt to avoid potential offense. These alterations, combined with the film’s reported technical issues including poor editing and CGI integration, have resulted in divided audience reception.
Zegler herself became a focal point of controversy through comments about the original film and political statements. In promotional interviews, she criticized the 1937 version as having “a big focus on her love story with the guy who literally stalks her. Weird, weird,” as quoted in a widely circulated interview.
Political tensions also emerged between the film’s stars after Zegler appended “And always remember, Free Palestine” to a social media post sharing the film’s trailer. This reportedly caused friction with Israeli-born co-star Gal Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen. The Washington Post reported that Gadot subsequently declined several promotional opportunities for the film.
Snow White flops hard: $240M budget, only $3.5M in previews, and a 2.4/10 IMDb rating.
— Desiree (@DesireeAmerica4) March 23, 2025
When you say "May Trump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace.”
Did Rachel Zegler jeopardize her future in Hollywood? pic.twitter.com/ygBY7oDENk
Family Connection Expresses Disappointment
Even relatives of those involved in the original film have criticized the remake. David Hale Hand, son of the supervising director of the 1937 animated classic, stated, “From what I’ve read, [the new film] bears no reflection to the original story. It’s so far off base that it’s ridiculous.”
His wife Sandra added that “they’ve taken it and moved into the politics of what is woke. They’re taking a beautiful and beautifully drawn story and destroying what was Snow White,” according to Page Six.
Industry Context
The disappointing performance of “Snow White” comes at a challenging time for theatrical releases in general. As Showbiz411 notes, “There’s not much going on in movieland right now. All I heart about is streaming TV. ‘Severance,’ ‘White Lotus,’ etc. The studios are doing this to themselves.”
Martin Kaplan, head of the Norman Lear Center at the University of Southern California, told the New York Times that “no studio wants its movie branded as a DEI lesson,” suggesting that political perception may have affected audience reception.
As “Snow White” continues its theatrical run, the contrast between Zegler’s personal milestone and the film’s commercial performance illustrates the complex challenges facing Disney’s ongoing strategy of reimagining its animated classics for contemporary audiences.
