Snow White 2025: $170M Loss and Backlash Explained

Disney’s live-action Snow White was supposed to be a straightforward update of a classic fairy tale. Instead, it became a lightning rod for controversy spanning casting choices, political divisions, and questions about how to modernize an 85-year-old film. When the box office numbers came in, the financial damage — a reported $170 million loss — matched the scale of the backlash.

Reported financial loss: $170 million ·
Lead actress: Rachel Zegler ·
Co-star: Gal Gadot ·
Release year: 2025

Five numbers tell the story of how a $270 million production turned into one of the most damaging releases in Disney’s history.

Did Disney lose $170 million on Snow White?

Yes, according to multiple financial outlets. Forbes reported in February 2026 that Disney lost about $170 million on Snow White, citing studio financial disclosures. The figure includes production costs, marketing, and the film’s underperformance at the box office.

What does the Forbes report say?

• The film’s final worldwide gross landed at $205.7 million (Forbes).
• Its opening weekend brought in $87.3 million globally — far below Disney’s typical live-action debut (Forbes).
• Deadline, the Hollywood trade publication, estimated the all-in deficit at roughly $115 million when home entertainment and streaming revenue were factored in.

How does this compare to the film’s budget?

The production budget reportedly ballooned past $270 million, making it one of the most expensive live-action remakes Disney has ever produced. The gap between that spend and the final $205.7 million gross is what produced the $170 million loss, per Forbes.

The pattern: a budget that grew during production, combined with a box office that never recovered from the pre-release controversy. For Disney, the takeaway is that marketing spend couldn’t overcome the negative sentiment that had already solidified online.

Why did Snow White flop?

The film failed to attract audiences for reasons that go beyond typical box office competition. Negative press, online backlash, and lukewarm reviews created a headwind that the film never overcame.

What were the main factors behind the financial disappointment?

• Controversy around Rachel Zegler’s public statements about the 1937 original drove early negative sentiment (Variety).
• The trailer became one of the most disliked videos on YouTube, drawing over a million negative reactions (Forbes).
• Political tensions — Zegler’s social media posts and Gal Gadot’s public stance on Israel — created a charged atmosphere around the film (Variety).

How did poor reviews contribute?

Critical reception was weak. The film holds a low score on Rotten Tomatoes, reflecting reviews that called it visually uneven and weighed down by the controversies surrounding its leads. Poor word of mouth compounded the box office decline after opening weekend.

The trade-off: heightened visibility without positive engagement. For Disney, the lesson is that not all press is good press when the controversy centers on the film’s own leads.

Why don’t people like Rachel Zegler as Snow White?

The backlash against Rachel Zegler’s casting started before she made any public comments. Some objected to the casting of a Latina actress in a role traditionally depicted as white. But the deeper controversy came from Zegler’s own remarks.

What controversies surrounded Rachel Zegler’s comments?

• Zegler described the 1937 original’s romance plot as “dated” and said the prince “literally stalks Snow White” (Variety).
• She also posted “free Palestine” on social media, which became part of the backlash cycle as audiences tied the film to broader political debates (Variety).
• Fox News linked the backlash directly to Zegler’s political tweets and her comments about the Middle East.

Why did Gal Gadot and Rachel Zegler reportedly not get along?

Rumors of on-set tension between Zegler and Gal Gadot surfaced during production. The political dynamic — Zegler posting pro-Palestinian content while Gadot, an Israeli, publicly supported Israel — created a backdrop that fueled speculation (Variety). Neither actor has confirmed a feud, but the reports persisted throughout the film’s rollout.

What this means: the casting of two actors with publicly opposing political views turned Snow White into a proxy for cultural battles far beyond the film itself.

What exactly did Rachel Zegler say?

Zegler’s comments about the 1937 Snow White were the spark that lit the fuse. In interviews leading up to the film’s release, she openly critiqued the original.

What were Zegler’s comments about the 1937 Snow White?

• She called the original film’s love story “dated” and said the prince’s behavior was “creepy” (Variety).
• She stated that the new version would focus on Snow White’s agency rather than being rescued by a prince.
• These remarks went viral, with many fans of the original feeling that Zegler was insulting a beloved classic.

How did Disney respond?

Disney distanced itself from Zegler’s remarks during promotion, emphasizing that the new film was a “reimagining” rather than a direct critique of the original (Variety). The studio also scaled back the film’s Hollywood premiere amid the mounting controversy.

The implication for Disney’s casting and marketing teams: vet public statements more closely, and prepare for culture-war dynamics that can overwhelm a film’s message.

Why is the new Snow White so controversial?

The controversy around Snow White isn’t one thing — it’s a pile of them. Casting, story changes, political tensions, and criticism from prominent figures all contributed to a firestorm.

What specific changes to the story caused outrage?

• The seven dwarfs were replaced with “magical beings” — a decision that drew criticism from Peter Dinklage, who argued it perpetuated stereotypes about little people (Variety).
• The prince’s role was minimized, with the story shifting focus to Snow White as a leader rather than a romantic heroine.
• Traditional songs were reportedly altered or replaced, which angered purists.

How did casting choices spark debate?

Rachel Zegler’s casting as Snow White — a role traditionally depicted as white — prompted discussion about race and representation in Hollywood. Gal Gadot’s casting as the Evil Queen added another layer, with some questioning whether an Israeli actress should play a villain in a film whose lead had posted pro-Palestinian content (Variety).

The pattern: every creative decision became a culture-war flashpoint. Disney found itself defending choices on representation, political neutrality, and artistic integrity simultaneously.

What is the biggest flop in Disney?

Disney has a history of expensive flops, and Snow White now sits among them. But where exactly does it rank?

How does Snow White’s loss compare to other Disney failures?

• John Carter (2012) lost an estimated $200 million for Disney, making it the studio’s most notorious bomb (Wikipedia).
• The Lone Ranger (2013) lost roughly $160 million to $190 million (Wikipedia).
• Snow White‘s $170 million loss places it in the same territory as The Lone Ranger and ahead of Strange Magic.
• Forbes reported that Snow White became the fifth-lowest grossing of Disney’s 21 live-action adaptations of animated classics.

What were previous record-holding flops?

Before Snow White, Disney’s most painful live-action failures were John Carter and The Lone Ranger — both of which led to major executive shakeups. Snow White joins that list, though its $170 million loss doesn’t top John Carter‘s record when adjusted for inflation (Wikipedia).

The catch: Snow White is unique among these flops because its failure was driven as much by cultural backlash as by creative missteps. Previous bombs were mostly ignored; Snow White was actively rejected.

Key perspectives from insiders

“Disney loses $170 million with ‘Snow White’ flop: report”

— Forbes headline on the film’s financial damage

“Zegler described the 1937 original as ‘dated’ and said the prince ‘literally stalks Snow White.'”

— Variety reporting on Zegler’s comments

“Peter Dinklage criticized the film’s depiction of little people, arguing that it could perpetuate stereotypes.”

— Variety on the actor’s public criticism

“Industry estimates put Disney’s loss at about $170 million.”

— Fox News citing industry sources on the financial impact

For Disney, the Snow White experience is a costly case study in how culture-war dynamics can override even the most polished marketing machine. The studio now faces a clear choice: continue adapting beloved classics with an eye toward modernization, or revert to safer creative ground that avoids political and cultural flashpoints. For the broader industry, the lesson is that a film’s success depends not just on the story on screen, but on the story audiences believe before they buy a ticket.

For a deeper breakdown of the financial and cultural fallout, see this Snow White 2025 flop analysis.

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