Don’t blame “wokeness” for the struggles Disney’s “Snow White” is having at the box office.
The remake of the 1937 classic had a disappointing $87 million global debut that missed nine-figure expectations. It also underwhelmed in the US with a $43 million showing that fell short of the $50 million estimates going in.
Some conservative critics took a victory lap after being frustrated by Disney’s attempt to modernize the movie by diversifying the cast and changing the plotline about a prince.
But box-office analysts don’t think the “go woke, go broke” narrative that has weighed on Disney explains why “Snow White” hasn’t been a hit.
“I don’t think everybody just said, ‘It’s woke: Let’s not go,'” said David A. Gross, who runs movie consultancy FranchiseRe, in an interview with Business Insider. “I just think it is a little bit confusing; it’s cross-signals. I think a lot of it goes back to the film — the reviews are not good.”
The movie has a 43% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, though a better 74% audience score. The flick got a solid but unspectacular B+ from CinemaScore, which surveys moviegoers. Gross said that B+ isn’t great for a Disney family film.
“The movie isn’t completely satisfying to the audiences who are attending,” Gross previously said in written commentary. “That, also, has nothing to do with woke. The movie simply isn’t connecting creatively on the level of a big Disney hit.”
Critics also didn’t seem to think wokeness was the issue with “Snow White.”
One of the most scathing reviews came from the center-left news site The Guardian: “A film made by people with cartoon dollar signs for eyes and not even the tiniest glimmer of art in their souls.”
Another critic called it “a misguided and hollow attempt at modernizing the classic tale,” while a third said the reimagined take was “missing charm and depth.”
Indeed, Disney’s remakes seem to have diminishing returns. This is the Mouse House’s 14th live-action recreation in the last decade. Only three of those have cleared the billion-dollar mark worldwide, and reviews for the more recent remakes have been trending lower.
“If we went in a time machine and went back and there was no controversy, no issues with casting, on the political front — what may the movie have done? We’ll never know,” Comscore box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian told BI. “Was it destined to be a $100 million opener? Probably not.”
Disney knows it can sell remakes outside the box office
Disney has become risk-averse with its movie strategy by prioritizing sequels like “Inside Out 2” and “Moana 2”; remakes like “Snow White” and “Lilo & Stitch”; reboots like “The Fantastic Four”; and spinoffs like “Mufasa,” which is based on three-decade-old “The Lion King.”
Not all of these seemingly safe swings lead to hits, as this past weekend shows. But some result in home runs. Disney had the three biggest movies of 2024, all of which were sequels.
Audiences say they want originality, but despite runaway successes like the “Barbenheimer” duo, original movies often fail to break out at the box office.
“I can’t fault Disney for wanting to do remakes or franchises, or any studio for doing that,” Dergarabedian said. “Because when the audience is given originals — they [often] don’t show up at the movie theater.”
Another reason Disney is set on sequels and remakes is that it can easily monetize them.
Even if “Snow White” barely makes back its massive budget at the box office, Gross said it could pay off in other ways. Families may pay to see the movie on-demand or stream it on Disney+, which could drive sales for “Snow White” Halloween dresses and, eventually, perhaps even a trip to Disney World.
“Theatrical is the first of many income streams,” Gross remarked. “It’s the locomotive pulling the train, and the train is long.”
Movies, merchandise, and parks all play into the so-called “flywheel” Walt Disney himself envisioned.
“The movie should have been better, but this is not the end of the world,” Gross said. “It’s not the end of the business for them at all.”
