Disney’s ‘Snow White’ Tops Box Office Despite Mixed Reviews

Disney’s latest live-action remake, Snow White, claimed the top spot at the North American box office this weekend, raking in an estimated $43 million. But while the film may have won the weekend, its path to profitability looks more like a treacherous forest than a fairy-tale ending.

A Rocky Road to the Big Screen

This Snow White reboot, starring Rachel Zegler, has been one of Disney’s most controversial projects in recent history. Between pandemic delays, backlash over the CGI-animated dwarves replacing real actors, and a whopping $250 million budget, the film has faced an uphill battle from the start.

Reviews haven’t exactly been a magic mirror of praise either. Some critics have shredded the film, with The Guardian calling it “toe-curlingly terrible.” On the flip side, The Washington Post found it “surprisingly entertaining,” and audiences seem to be a bit more forgiving.

“While it’s a disappointing opening weekend, we can’t write off the film’s performance until we see how it holds up in the coming weeks,” said Daniel Loria, senior vice president at the Boxoffice Company.

Box Office Round-Up

While Snow White reigned supreme, other films also made a mark this weekend:

• #2: Black Bag – The Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett spy thriller moved up to second place with $4.4 million.
• #3: Captain America: Brave New World – The latest Marvel installment, starring Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford, climbed to third with $4.1 million.
• #4: Mickey 17 – Bong Joon-ho’s sci-fi black comedy, starring Robert Pattinson, dipped to fourth with $3.9 million.
• #5: Novocaine – Last weekend’s leader, the Jack Quaid action-comedy, took a painful fall to fifth place at $3.8 million.

Rounding out the top 10 were The Alto Knights ($3.2M), The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie ($1.8M), The Monkey ($1.55M), Dog Man ($1.5M), and The Last Supper ($1.3M).

Will ‘Snow White’ Find Its Happily Ever After?

With such a hefty budget, Snow White has a long way to go before it can be declared a financial success. Whether it’s destined to be Disney’s next big hit or just another cautionary tale remains to be seen. One thing’s for sure—this fairytale isn’t over yet!