Snow White is navigating a challenging path toward its release, scheduled for March 21, 2025. The film has faced considerable controversy, particularly regarding its casting choices, which feature Latina actress Rachel Zegler as the iconic princess—historically depicted as a fair-skinned white woman. This decision has ignited a racially charged backlash, reminiscent of the criticism aimed at Halle Bailey’s casting as Ariel in the 2023 live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. Unfortunately, this trend indicates that some segments of Disney’s audience are still grappling with the concept of race-blind casting.
The controversies surrounding Snow White do not end with the casting debate. Both Zegler and her co-star Gal Gadot have attracted criticism for their political affiliations, which spotlight their pro-Palestine and pro-Israel sentiments, respectively. These views have triggered significant public discourse and discontent across the spectrum. Additionally, the film’s representation of dwarfs has sparked further conflict; the creative team opted for CGI alterations instead of casting actors with dwarfism, a decision that has raised eyebrows and may impact the film’s box office performance. Despite these challenges, Snow White has recently surpassed a noteworthy box office achievement.
Snow White Joins The Highest-Grossing Musicals List
It Beat Out Last Year’s Mean Girls
The recent live-action adaptation of Snow White has remarkably secured a spot on the all-time highest-grossing movie musicals list. This latest rendition is a reinterpretation of the beloved fairytale that first graced screens in the classic 1937 animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. So far, the movie has garnered mixed critical responses, with a current rating of 40% on Rotten Tomatoes. ScreenRant reviewer Rachel Labonte awarded the film 5 out of 10 stars, commending Zegler’s performance while critiquing the underwhelming villain and noting the movie’s “artificial sheen” due to its CGI dwarfs.
According to The Numbers, Snow White now ranks 38th among the highest-grossing movie musicals of all time in the domestic box office, surpassing both the 1964 classic My Fair Lady and the 2024 adaptation of Mean Girls. As of now, the film has generated a total of $77.3 million domestically and is just over $3 million shy of overtaking Fiddler on the Roof for a higher ranking.
What This Means For Snow White
Snow White’s Release Story Is Not All Positive
Despite some achievements, the box office trajectory for Snow White has not been consistently positive. The film opened with a domestic take of $42.2 million during its debut weekend, a performance that is relatively unremarkable when compared to other Disney live-action adaptations. This figure places Snow White as having the tenth-highest opening weekend among such remakes, surpassing Maleficent: Mistress of Evil but falling short of the 2019 Dumbo remake. To date, the film has accumulated approximately $168.6 million globally.
The 2025 adaptation continues to face significant backlash before and after its release. Even with a decent Popcornmeter rating of 72%, the film has been subjected to extensive review bombing on IMDb, resulting in a disheartening 1.6 out of 10 score, with an alarming 91.1% of ratings being one-star reviews. This negative reception makes it all the more impressive that Snow White has achieved the milestone of being one of the top 40 highest-grossing musicals at the domestic box office.
Our Take On This Latest Snow White Record
The Movie Musical Is Getting More Popular
The inclusion of Snow White on the all-time musicals list reflects a noteworthy moment for the genre, as it enters a period of renewed popularity. Notably, four of the top 40 musicals are recent 2024 releases, whereas the representation from 2023 and 2022 remains considerably lower. This trend may elucidate the reasons behind Snow White‘s enduring success amidst the surrounding controversy.
The outlook for musical films appears promising in 2025, with a host of upcoming titles set for release, including both animated and live-action options. The nearest anticipated debut is Smurfs, scheduled to premiere in July. Currently, animated musicals constitute three of the top five highest-grossing films in the genre, which is promising for the CGI and live-action hybrid films. Later this year, Wicked: For Good is expected to perform exceptionally well, given the success of its predecessor. Although Snow White may eventually be displaced from its current position among the top 40, it can bask in its current achievements for the time being.
Source: The Numbers