'Snow White' debuts in theaters, dogged by controversy

Disney’s "Snow White" reaches theaters on Friday, after having been dogged by controversies that dragged the retelling of the 1937 animated classic into the culture wars, potentially threatening its box office performance.

The big-budget adaptation of Walt Disney’s original princess story has been in the works since 2016, following a string of box-office successes with similar live-action remakes of Disney animated films, including "Alice in Wonderland," "Cinderella" and "The Jungle Book."

“The Amazing Spider-Man” director Marc Webb agreed to helm a live-action musical version of the movie that would update the fairy tale for contemporary audiences.

The project, with an estimated budget of $270 million, has became mired in the nation’s divisions over race, the 2024 election and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Disney declined to comment for this story.

"'Snow White' looms as a Hollywood case study of how the world can change under your feet," wrote Richard Rushfield, editorial director of the entertainment industry newsletter The Ankler. "It approaches the finish line having collected more scandals, brouhahas and issues than some studios see in a decade."

"Snow White" landed in the what Rushfield described as the "culture war crosshairs" -- a place it has worked to avoid since 2022, when it became embroiled in a dispute with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over a legislative effort to limit classroom discussion of sexuality and gender issues.

The film, like Disney's 2023 live-action remake of "The Little Mermaid," attracted backlash for casting a person of colour in the lead role. Disney's selection of Rachel Zegler, an actor of Colombian descent, for the title role, prompted some online critics to deride the project as "Snow Woke."

The 23-year-old Zegler fanned some of the controversy.

The actor antagonised Trump supporters with a series of temporary Instagram stories posted after the 2024 election, condemning those who voted for the president-elect.

"May Trump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace,” she wrote, later apologising for letting her emotions get the best of her.

Israeli-born actress Gal Gadot, who plays the film’s Evil Queen, provoked calls for a boycott of the movie after expressing support for her native country in the aftermath of the Oct 7 terror attack. Pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protesters faced off Tuesday, as Gadot received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Zegler, meanwhile, has been vocal about her "pro-Palestine stance" on X, taking an opposing view to Gadot on the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

Against this backdrop, Disney restricted interview access from the red carpet of the film's Los Angeles premiere, which was moved from Hollywood Boulevard to a tented area behind the El Capitan theater because of the Los Angeles Marathon.

The movie received an enthusiastic reaction at the premiere. Audience members applauded after many of the musical numbers.

“‘Snow White’ is not only one of their best live-action remakes in years, but it’s also a film that recaptures the magic of the 1937 movie. Rachel Zegler IS Snow White, and she delivers such a magical performance,” said online critic Christopher Rates It.

Stephen Galloway, dean of the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University, said most of the social media controversies will likely be forgotten if the film receives strong reviews.

"The darkness of the web, even when it's not the dark web, doesn't kill a movie," said Galloway. "Everything is basically dependent on, was this movie any good?"

Shawn Robbins, founder and owner of Box Office Theory, predicted "Snow White" would open in the high $30 million to low $40 million range at domestic theaters. Other sources predict the movie will bring in $45 to $55 million in North America, and another $55 million globally.

"It faces these challenging narratives," Robbins said. "The flip side is that family movies have been doing really well, and there aren't a lot of them coming out before summer so that could be a benefit."