The controversy around Disney's 'Snow White' live-action remake, explained, after a disappointing opening weekend

After the success of a slew of live-action remakes, a musical retelling of 1937's "Snow White" may have seemed like a slam dunk for Disney.

Instead, a reboot which The Hollywood Reporter said cost over $270 million, made $88 million globally in its opening weekend.

That's less than the opening weekend box office for "Joker: Folie à Deux," one of the major box office bombs of 2024.

Like the original animated classic, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," the upcoming film is loosely based on the 19th-century German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm.

But a number of key changes have drawn criticism, including casting a mixed-ethnicity actor in the lead role, and adjusting the characters of the seven dwarfs.

Channeling her character's grace and kindness, "Snow White" lead actor Rachel Zegler said in a recent interview that the backlash to the film comes down to the "passion" people have for the original.

"What an honor to be a part of something that people feel so passionately about. We're not always going to agree with everyone who surrounds us, and all we can do is our best," she said in an interview in the March issue of Vogue Mexico via Variety.

After years of backlash, film critics responded positively to "Snow White," when the embargo for first reactions lifted ahead of its release on March 21. Several critics praised the film and Zegler's performance as the titular princess.

However, it was not enough to turn the tide on "Snow White."

Here are the controversies surrounding Disney's "Snow White" live-action remake, explained.

Critics of the 'Snow White' live-action remake say it's too far of a departure from the original

The live-action remake attracted controversy as soon as details about the production emerged.

In 2023, some people were left incensed by photos obtained by the Daily Mail that suggested Disney had "gone woke" and replaced the original fairytale's seven dwarfs with a diverse group of people of different genders, ethnicities, and heights.

For what it's worth, the trailer for the film shows that the seven dwarf characters remain true to the original story, and are being played by actors with the help of CGI.

Peter Dinklage said Disney should cut the Seven Dwarfs from the new movie

In 2022, "Game of Thrones" actor Peter Dinklage criticized Disney for what he perceived as blatant hypocrisy in its attempts to update the problematic children's fairytale for modern audiences.

Referencing the casting of Zegler in the lead role, Dinklage said on the comedian Marc Maron's "WTF" podcast: "It makes no sense to me because you're progressive in one way, and then you're still making that fucking backward story of seven dwarfs living in a cave."

Following Dinklage's comments, a Disney spokesperson said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter that the studio was consulting "with members of the dwarfism community" during the pre-production process for the movie.

The statement added that it was "taking a different approach" to the characters of the seven dwarfs as a means to "avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film."

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Rachel Zegler's casting caused controversy

After it was announced that Zegler would be taking on the lead role in the film, some pushed back against her casting, upset that an actor of mixed ethnicity would be stepping into the role of the character who is described as having skin "as white as snow."

Appearing on Variety's Actors on Actors series with Andrew Garfield in January 2022, Zegler, who is of Colombian and Polish descent, spoke about the reaction to her casting, and how she hoped to change perceptions of who can or can't play certain roles.

"Never in a million years did I imagine that this would be a possibility for me. You don't normally see Snow Whites that are of Latin descent. Even though Snow White is really a big deal in Spanish-speaking countries," she said. "At the end of the day, I have a job to do that I'm really excited to do. I get to be a Latina princess."

Zegler also addressed the controversy in an interview with Allure published on March 18, saying: "The reality is, I was given a chance because I could sing."

Zegler caused further controversy with her comments on the original 'Snow White'

Since her casting was announced in June 2021, Zegler has repeatedly stated that she's not a fan of the original 1937 film, considering it outdated.

In a late 2022 interview with Entertainment Weekly, the 23-year-old actor said she'd seen the original animated film only once before and didn't enjoy it.

"I was scared of the original version. I think I watched it once and never picked it up again. I'm being so serious," Zegler said.

In a separate red carpet conversation with Variety, Zegler was asked what she meant when she said she was bringing a modern edge to the character.

"I just mean that it's no longer 1937," Zegler said, adding: "She's not going to be saved by the prince, and she's not going to be dreaming about true love — she's dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be and the leader that her late father told her that she could be if she was fearless, fair, brave, and true."

Elsewhere, Zegler described the prince in the original film as a stalker and emphasized that a love story wasn't central to the new film.

"There's a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her," Zegler told Extra TV. "Weird! Weird! So we didn't do that this time."

"We have a different approach to what I'm sure a lot of people will assume is a love story just because we cast a guy in the movie," she added, before joking that Andrew Burnap, who plays the prince, might be cut from the film altogether.

In her Allure interview, Zegler added that she was "proud to be representative of this particular story where [Snow White] falls in love with such a sweet character."

Stars Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot have differing views on Israel and Palestine

Global politics also has had a part to play in the film's controversy, with the two lead actors expressing conflicting views over the ongoing conflict in Gaza and Israel.

Zegler has been vocal about her support of a free Palestine on social media. Meanwhile, Gadot, who is Israeli and who spent two years serving in the Israel Defense Forces, has been outspoken about her support for the country since the October 7 Hamas attack.

Gadot skipped the European premiere of "Snow White" on March 12 in Spain, which Zegler attended.

Representatives for Zegler and Gadot did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

The stars did not do interviews at the US premiere

After a European premiere on March 12, Disney held a scaled-back premiere in LA for "Snow White" on March 15. While photographers and fans were invited, reporters were not allowed to interview stars and guests on the red carpet like they typically would at a premiere.

Variety reported after the premiere that Jodi Benson, who voiced Ariel in the original "The Little Mermaid" movie, was the only person to interview the cast on behalf of Disney at the event.

The Guardian reported on March 15, without citing a source, that the film wouldn't have a UK premiere, despite these being standard for big-budget films.

Fans defended Zegler following a Variety report on why 'Snow White' has so far failed at the box office

On Tuesday, Variety published an article, citing anonymous sources, about possible reasons "Snow White" did not perform better at the box office. Variety's article focuses on Zegler's controversial comments on social media and in interviews.

Some fans, journalists, and critics defended Zegler and criticized Variety on X, accusing the publication of blaming her for the movie's failure.

"not to be this person but there was a way to report on all the drama surrounding Rachel Zegler and Snow White (which is legitimate journalism!) without being incredibly biased and turning it into a hit piece on a principled outspoken 24 year old girl...," Chris Murphy, a staff writer for Vanity Fair, wrote on X.

Other fans said that the quality of the film or what they saw as Gadot's poor acting should be blamed for the movie's failure.

Representatives for Disney and Variety did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.