Disney’s Snow White Controversy: Rachel Zegler, Social Media, and a Box Office Flop
Alright, let’s talk about the chaos surrounding Disney’s live-action Snow White remake, starring Rachel Zegler. This movie was supposed to be a massive hit, but instead, it turned into a headline-grabbing disaster filled with controversy, backlash, and even security threats. So, what really happened?
It all started back in August 2024, when Zegler took the stage at Disney’s D23 fan event to introduce the film’s first trailer. The trailer exploded online, racking up 120 million views in just 24 hours. That’s when things took an unexpected turn. Just a minute after celebrating the milestone, Zegler posted “Free Palestine” on social media. Now, Disney was already on shaky ground with Zegler—her past comments about Snow White being outdated had ruffled feathers—but this post sent shockwaves through the studio. Disney execs were blindsided, and producer Marc Platt even flew to New York to talk to her directly. But Zegler refused to back down, keeping the post up despite internal concerns.
Then, things got even messier. Following the U.S. presidential election, Zegler went off on social media again, posting “F ** Donald Trump”* and “May Trump supporters never know peace.” Disney had enough. With a $270 million film on the line, they couldn’t afford to alienate half their audience. The studio took action, hiring a social media advisor to filter Zegler’s posts in the months leading up to the film’s release.
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But the damage was done. The controversy surrounding Zegler’s comments, combined with backlash against her criticisms of the original Snow White , created a perfect storm of negativity. Her co-star Gal Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen, also found herself caught in the crossfire, facing death threats due to her Israeli background. Disney had to step up security for Gadot, adding yet another layer of drama to the film’s troubled journey.
When Snow White finally hit theaters in March 2025, the results were disastrous. The film pulled in just $87 million worldwide on opening weekend—far below what a Disney blockbuster should make. To put it into perspective, Joker: Folie à Deux made $34 million more with a budget that was $70 million smaller. Hollywood insiders saw this as a major failure, with one rival studio executive bluntly stating, “This movie should be a billion-dollar hit. The math doesn’t work.”
This whole debacle highlights a bigger issue for Hollywood: how do studios handle stars who stir up controversy online? Disney learned the hard way that ignoring early warning signs can snowball into a PR nightmare. Zegler had already caused friction back in 2022 when she publicly complained about not being invited to the Oscars for West Side Story . Instead of addressing it early, Disney let things slide, and by the time Snow White rolled around, the controversy was too big to contain.
In the end, Snow White became a case study in what not to do. Between production delays, reshoots, and social media battles, Disney found itself in a lose-lose situation. Sure, controversy can sometimes fuel interest in a movie—but in this case, it drowned it. Now, with a disappointing box office performance and a tarnished brand, Disney is left asking: where did it all go wrong?
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