With the movie still just over a month away, early box office projections are coming in for the live-actionSnow Whiteremake, and are in the middle of the pack. Golden Globe winner Rachel Zegler is leading the ensemble cast for the film in the titular role, with the story now seeing Snow as the daughter of a king who was usurped by Gal Gadot’s Evil Queen, and, after escaping from her castle, plots to reclaim the kingdom with the help of seven magical creatures. Helmed by Marc Webb,theSnow Whiteremake garnered lots of controversyduring its production.
Despite its controversies, as reported byDeadline, the early box office projections forSnow Whiteare proving modest as of now.Zegler’s live-action remake is currently on track for a $63-70 million domestic opening weekend, as reported by bothQuorumand the publication’s own sources. This would effectively mark Zegler’s highest-grossing opening weekend to date, with the current record being held byHunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' $44.6 million.
What This Means For Disney’s Snow White
It’s Falling Right In The Middle Of The Studio’s Recent Remakes
While a $63-70 million haul is a modest figure, if it does prove more concrete uponSnow White’s March 20 release, it’s not a great sign for the movie’s final box office tally. Reports are currently varying on the movie’s final budgetary figures, though it’s been reported that the film could have cost upward of $269 million. When factoring in marketing and theatrical release costs, which typically are about 2.5 times the production budget,that would put the movie’s break-even point at about $673 million.
If to look at howSnow White’s opening compares to otherlive-action Disney remakes, it would put Zegler’s film right in the middle of the bunch, particularly when not factoring in sequels or prequels. In addition to beingthe lowest since Tim Burton’sDumbo, it would also be a continuation of the genre’s downward trend at the box office, with most titles falling well shy of the $90-100 million range that early remakes enjoyed in their opening weekends. See howSnow White’s opening box office projections compare to other recent Disney remakes and adaptations in the chart below:
Beauty and the Beast
$63-70 Million (projected)
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BarringCruella, which had a simultaneous theatrical and Disney+ Premiere release due to the COVID-19 pandemic,most other Disney live-action remakes in the same opening weekend range asSnow Whitefell well short of $600 million. ThoughMufasa: The Lion King’s box officesaw a gradual rise after a slow start, eventually overtakingSonic the Hedgehog 3and becoming a success,Snow Whitemight not fare as well, particularly after the movie’s various controversies stymied anticipation for Zegler’s remake.
Our Take On Disney’s Snow White Box Office Chances
A Quiet Release Weekend Could Boost Its Chances
Despite the various hurdles facing the movie, I do still believe there is a chance that the live-actionSnow Whiteremake could find its way to being a box office success. As previously noted,Mufasa: The Lion Kingwas able to ride on its positive audience word of mouth to become a success, and given Zegler’s film has a generally quiet opening release weekend, only going up against theRobert De Niro-ledAlto Knights, the family demographic can put their full focus into the next Disney remake, should they want to.
Snow White
Cast
A live-action adaptation of the classic fairy tale. The film follows Snow White as she escapes into the forest and seeks refuge with seven dwarfs to elude her jealous stepmother, the wicked Queen, who is threatened by Snow White’s surpassing beauty.
