Disney's Snow White Ticket Sales Plummet Just Days Before Release—What Went Wrong?

Disney has now put tickets up for grabs for their live-action retelling of Snow White, with the movie set to hit theaters on March 21. Preview screenings will start a day earlier, on March 20th, however, the late announcement for ticket sales has sparked some surprise among moviegoers.

Contributing to the mounting challenges facing this film, the recently released one-minute trailer for ticket sales sparked instant controversy. In mere hours, it garnered 1,400 likes and an astonishing 2,100 dislikes, a stark reflection of the public’s response.

A Weak Theatrical Rollout at Disney’s Own Backyard

The weak showing at AMC Disney Springs in Orlando, Florida, a venue where Disney typically goes all-out for big releases, might indicate that the movie is struggling to gain traction. Typically, for a high-profile Disney film, several screens would be allocated for its premiere, encompassing both standard and dine-in theaters. However, the schedule for the Snow White preview and opening night seems to suggest that Disney doesn’t anticipate a large audience.

On Thursdays, the movie has been allocated exclusively to the Dolby Theater and, based on the listed showtimes, it seems like two regular screens in the primary AMC theater. The dine-in theater is only giving it a single smaller screen. Unfortunately, the scheduled performances aren’t seeing great ticket sales.

The image displayed here, taken from the AMC mobile app on March 10, reveals that as of now, there are only 15 tickets sold for the 8 PM showing of Snow White on March 20.

In a similar vein as the anticipated underperformer at the box office, “Captain America: Brave New World,” produced by Disney, managed to secure numerous screenings across various theaters with showtimes scheduled frequently every hour. The restrained release strategy for “Snow White” implies that Disney may be setting modest expectations, even in one of its busiest venues.

Rachel Zegler’s Absence from Press Junkets

Alongside the unique marketing approach, there’s been a notable lack of appearances by lead actress Rachel Zegler at significant U.S. media events.

In just 10 days before the premiere, she hasn’t interacted much with the American media or held a traditional press conference, unlike typical promotional activities. Instead, Disney is focusing on pre-prepared promotional clips featuring Zegler from a carefully managed publicity tour in Japan. This strategy seems to be aimed at minimizing any potential rekindling of debates about her past remarks concerning the original Snow White movie and its characters, which caused controversy.

Instead of this approach, when Disney is certain about a movie, they often highlight their main actors prominently in an extensive marketing blitz. This includes interviews, talk shows, and promotional events to generate buzz. Currently, Gal Gadot, who portrays the Evil Queen in Snow White, is being showcased extensively. Disney has her appearing on programs like Good Morning America, where she interacts with media owned by ABC (a subsidiary of Disney).

In my perspective, restricting my unrehearsed conversations is a clear indication of the thoughtful strategy Disney is employing for this upcoming release. It seems they are placing more emphasis on managing any potential fallout rather than creating authentic excitement, possibly as a reaction to the criticism that has come my way since the initial production details were disclosed.

Box Office Projections Look Grim

Industry estimates for Snow White’s opening weekend continue to paint a bleak picture.

Estimates predict that the movie will earn between 48 million and 58 million dollars upon its initial release, with an expected average of approximately 53 million. This would place it among Disney’s less successful live-action adaptations in recent times, particularly when contrasted to previous blockbusters such as The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast, which raked in over 150 million dollars on their opening weekends and eventually grossed more than a billion dollars each.

If these predictions prove accurate, Snow White might trail behind Disney’s recent films that didn’t do as well at the box office, such as The Marvels. Since Disney has put a lot of money into live-action remakes as a key part of their cinema strategy, a disappointing showing from Snow White could weaken investor trust in Disney’s capacity to regain its past box office success.

A Troubled Production from the Start

There’s no denying that the classic tale of Snow White has sparked debates and criticisms ever since it was first introduced. The choice to significantly change the depiction of the Seven Dwarfs, swapping them out for a multicultural ensemble, faced instant backlash before being transformed into seven CGI characters, who have been relentlessly ridiculed since their unveiling.

After Zegler’s remarks, there was a strong reaction against her. She criticized the original Snow White as old-fashioned and questioned the prince’s character, which led to criticism on the internet. These comments made traditional Disney fans feel that she didn’t value the film’s history, since she was set to star in it. Additionally, Zegler’s political opinions, which were sometimes expressed during promotional activities, further complicated Disney’s situation before the movie had a chance to demonstrate its worth.

Disney’s Live-Action Fatigue

As a dedicated Disney enthusiast, my own experience battling for Snow White tickets serves as a symbol of a broader predicament within the company – the progressive decline in profitability from live-action retellings.

Previous endeavors such as “The Jungle Book” and “Aladdin” were successful, but recent attempts like “The Little Mermaid” and “Pinocchio” have not been as fortunate. “The Little Mermaid” experienced significant underperformance, while “Pinocchio” was met with criticism and released straight to Disney+ with minimal hype.

Viewers are becoming increasingly skeptical about these adaptations because they believe they don’t add anything fresh or significant to cherished classics. Instead of creating unique animated experiences, they frequently produce lifeless, CGI-dominated productions that lack the warmth and allure of the original works.

In my perspective, promoting Snow White has been quite challenging due to significant creative alterations and the lead actress’s involvement in a contentious issue, making it a tough task to attract audiences.

What This Means for Snow White

It seems that Disney might be preparing for underperformance as the sudden release of tickets, limited theater presence, minimal traditional media involvement, and unimpressive box office predictions all hint at potential issues with the film. The movie business has learned hard lessons from pre-release controversies, and it appears that Snow White could become another example of what transpires when a studio misunderstands its audience’s tastes.

Despite persistent doubts from the audience and a lukewarm anticipation before its release, the upcoming film version of Snow White is shaping up to face intense examination, possibly making it one of Disney’s movies under the closest scrutiny yet.

2025-03-11 00:55

Disney’s Snow White Ticket Sales Plummet Just Days Before Release—What Went Wrong?