Snow White, the latest live-action remake from Disney, directed by Marc Webb, known for The Amazing Spider-Man films, experienced a challenging start at the box office. The film opened with a domestic total of $43 million, according to Comscore, marking it as the second highest debut of 2025, only behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Captain America: Brave New World. Despite topping this week's chart, Snow White fell short of expectations and underperformed compared to other Disney remakes like 2019's Dumbo, which launched with $45 million.
To put things into perspective, other Disney remakes such as 2019's The Lion King, 2017's Beauty and the Beast, 2016's The Jungle Book, and 2023's The Little Mermaid all boasted opening weekend domestic totals exceeding $100 million. Internationally, Snow White managed to pull in $44.3 million over its opening weekend, resulting in a global total of $87.3 million as per Comscore estimates.
Starring Rachel Zegler, known for her musical talents, as Snow White and Gal Gadot, famed for her role in Wonder Woman, as the Evil Queen, the film comes with a hefty reported production budget of over $250 million. Given its opening figures, Snow White faces a steep challenge to break even, particularly when factoring in marketing expenses.
However, there's a glimmer of hope for Snow White. Disney's Mufasa: The Lion King, a prequel to the 2019 Lion King remake, initially opened to a modest $35.4 million domestically but eventually soared to over $717 million worldwide. Disney is likely hoping for a similar 'sleeper hit' success story with Snow White.
In the midst of scrutiny over the performance of Captain America: Brave New World, which has accumulated $400.8 million globally after six weekends ($192.1 million domestic and $208.7 million international), Disney remains optimistic about Snow White's potential.
IGN's review of Snow White awarded it a 7/10, praising it as "a live-action Disney remake that meaningfully adapts its original, rather than creating a lesser mimicry."
