To the surprise of – well, no one who’s been keeping tabs on the film pretty much since its initial announcement – Disney’s live-action Snow White has bombed at the box office with just north of $87 million globally in its opening weekend.
Having been beset with a number of controversies ranging from the depiction of the dwarf characters to lead actress Rachel Zegler’s comments on both the original source material and outspoken political views, Snow White managed to open in first place in North America this weekend but came in under expectations with just $43 million domestically.
The film, which sees Zegler as the title character alongside Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen – earned a further $44.3 million from an additional 51 markets, which included just $900,000 from China, for its worldwide opening of $87.3 million. When you factor a budget in the region of $250-270 million before marketing, and that is certainly a poor start for a film that had been projected to top $100 million globally this weekend.
That being said, Disney’s most recent “live-action” remake, Mufasa: The Lion King, opened on the soft side with $122 million worldwide back in December and went on to earn an impressive $717.5 million by the end of its run. However, with scathing reviews and poor word of mouth, it looks like Snow White could be on course to join the list of Disney’s biggest box office misfires. You can read our review of the film here.
SEE ALSO: The Dwarfs are out for vengeance in The Death of Snow White trailer
Snow White wasn’t the only film to tank this weekend, as the $45-million-budgeted Robert De Niro-dual role mob drama The Alto Knights [read our review here] earned just $5 million globally, with $3.2 million in North America and $1.8 million from international markets.
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