Disney’s Snow White remake and The Marvels have a lot in common, but it isn’t because they were critically lauded or box-office successes.
Both movies are considered two of the House of Mouse’s biggest flops. Although several factors could be mentioned, Snow White’s Rachel Zegler and The Marvels’ Brie Larson faced controversies that critics say might have also contributed to their respective movies’ disappointing releases.
Disney's Box-Office Bombs: Snow White and The Marvels
It hasn’t been long since Disney faced commercial and critical failure with Nia DaCosta’s The Marvels, and they’re already losing money from their most recent underperformer. Interestingly, it’s a live adaptation of their very first animated film, featuring one of their main princesses.
Marc Webb’s 2025 remake of Snow White, starring Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, and Andrew Burnap, hasn’t been pulled from all theaters worldwide, but it’s already predicted to lose $100 million.
The movie reportedly cost around $270 million to produce and has earned $181.6 million globally so far. This weekend, it brought in just $2.5 million, making it unlikely to hit its $500 million break-even target at the box office.
Snow White is expected to lose $300 million. However, VOD and home releases could help reduce that loss to around $100 million.
Meanwhile, The Marvels tops the list of Disney’s biggest box-office failures, costing the company an estimated $200 million in losses. With a reported budget of $270 million, it only managed to earn a total of $206 million worldwide.
Snow White is closing in on The Marvels’ total box-office earnings. But that’s not the only similarity between the two films when it comes to profit. In week four, Snow White brought in $2.8 million, while The Marvels earned $2.5 million. Snow White’s total on its 24th day in theaters is $81.9 million, and The Marvels had made $80 million on day twenty-four.
What Snow White’s Rachel Zegler and The Marvels’ Brie Larson Said That Triggered Controversies for Their Films
In the same year as its release, Disney CEO Bob Iger shared his thoughts on why he believes The Marvels struggled financially.
According to NBC News, Iger said in an interview with Andrew Sorkin at New York’s DealBook Summit that during the pandemic, executives weren’t on set as often to oversee the production of The Marvels.
However, Brie Larson, who played Carol Danvers in the film, faced backlash after sharing her views about “white males” and how she believed they weren’t the target audience for Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time, which also performed poorly at the box office.
Her comments about disliking how “white males” are always the film critics and journalists may have also affected the perception of The Marvels, despite the fact that the majority of moviegoers who showed up in theaters were male, while many female viewers chose to skip the film.
On the Snow White side, producer Marc Platt’s son, Jonah Platt, offered his take on the film’s disappointing box-office performance.
In a now-deleted Instagram comment, Jonah called Snow White lead Rachel Zegler a “narcissist” and “immature” for making statements about the film and political issues without considering the “repercussions” those comments might have on the movie.
Zegler received backlash for openly disliking the original Snow White, referring to it as “weird” for featuring “a prince that stalks the princess,” and admitting that she was afraid of the 1937 film and the Disneyland ride based on it.
She has also spoken up on American and Middle Eastern politics through social media, expressing support for Palestine and voicing her opposition to U.S. President Donald Trump and his supporters.
Larson has not made further comments on feminism and is currently performing in an Elektra play in London. Meanwhile, Zegler has also gone quiet on social media and is starring in a London production of Evita.
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