Disney’s live-action adaptation of the beloved fairy tale, Snow White, has claimed the top spot on the North American box office charts, despite receiving a range of underwhelming reviews.
Globally, the film garnered an impressive $87.3 million during its debut weekend, according to Box Office Mojo, with nearly half of that total originating from North American audiences.
However, these figures fell short of expectations for a production that cost over $270 million to create.
Initially anticipated to be a blockbuster, the adaptation of the 1937 animated classic encountered several controversies prior to its release.
The updated version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs became a contentious issue, sparking social and political debates well before its worldwide premiere.
Critics also questioned the choice of Rachel Zegler, an actress of Colombian descent, for the lead role.
Controversies extended to discussions on Zegler’s pro-Palestinian remarks and pro-Israel comments by Gal Gadot, the Israeli actress portraying Snow White’s stepmother, the Evil Queen.
Furthermore, there’s ongoing discussion regarding the portrayal of dwarfs in the movie, questioning the inclusion of either live actors or CGI for these roles.
In China, Snow White did not make it into the top five films at the box office, according to EntGroup’s China Box Office data.
In this populous nation of over 1.4 billion, the film earned under one million dollars in its first three days showing in theaters.
“The multiple controversies likely dulled the film’s appeal,” noted Patrick Frater, an entertainment industry consultant, in an interview with the media.
He added, “This is compounded by the waning impact of many Hollywood productions in Asia, which we have seen since the beginning of the pandemic.”
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a low critics’ rating of 44%, though the audience score on the ‘Popcornometer’ is a more favorable 73%.
Wendy Ide from The Guardian criticized the film as “toe-curlingly terrible,” while David Rooney of the Hollywood Reporter found it “mostly captivating.”
Nicholas Barber of the BBC described Disney’s latest live-action remake as “not calamitous,” but a “mind-boggling mash-up” due to its unsettling CGI dwarfs and inconsistent tone.
