Actress Rachel Zegler is still whining about how her leading role in a Disney live-action adaptation was a massive flop, and predictably, is blaming all the supposed racists out there for her failure.
The 24-year-old actress <a href="https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/culture/a70479146/rachel-zegler/">told</a> Harper’s Bazaar about the backlash she received in 2021 after it was announced that she would play the lead “Snow White,” calling the whole ordeal “really confusing.”
 “I was told I wasn’t enough of one thing for ‘West Side Story’ and too much of another for ‘Snow White,’” Zegler told the outlet, referencing pushback she received for being cast as Maria in “West Side Story” because her father is white.
“I grew up proud of being Colombian,” she went on. “Eating the food, wearing the dresses, drinking the coffee, doing all the things that were so intrinsic to who I was as a kid and who I am as an adult — but I do think there’s an argument to be made that, in the public eye at least, when you’re two things, you’re simultaneously nothing. But I refuse to assimilate for anybody else’s comfort.”
Social media users pointed out how the main complaint with Zegler wasn’t about her ethnicity, but her attitude. The actress went viral for saying she hated the source material for “Snow White” and also for posting divisive political opinions online.
Zegler made several inflammatory statements, including saying she hoped Trump supporters “never know peace.” 
The actress also took heat for <a href="https://x.com/rachelzegler/status/1823146134769893534?lang=en">posting</a> on X in 2024, “and always remember, free palestine.”
Beyond posting political commentary, she also mocked the source material for the movie she was starring in, calling Prince Charming a “stalker” and saying the new version of “Snow White” wouldn’t resemble the original.
“We have a different approach to, what I’m sure a lot of people will assume is a love story,” Zegler said in part. “[Snow White is] not going to be saved by the prince and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love,” she continued. “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.”
Zegler told Harper’s Bazaar that the consequences of her actions were “a complete study in intent versus impact.”
“I’ve said what I feel, and that will always be a testament to my core beliefs as a human. That’s where I stand,” she told the outlet. “You live and you learn, and there’s a caution that comes with that. There’s an understanding that the temptation to speak doesn’t always mean that it must be done, and that there are a lot of opportunities to make more meaningful change than a tweet.”
“Snow White” made just over $206 million worldwide, meaning it did not recoup its massive production budget. It has a 39% critics’ score and 69% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. 
The film is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disneys-snow-white-nominated-for-6-razzies-including-worst-of-2026">nominated for</a> six Golden Raspberry Awards (Razzies), a film competition that awards the worst of the worst. We will soon find out if it takes home Worst Picture on March 14.

Rachel Zegler

Rachel Zegler Is Still Whining About ‘Snow White’ Backlash

Rachel Zegler Still Whining About Backlash To 'Snow White' Casting Announcement 5 Years Ago

Entertainment

Hollywood

Movies

Snow White

To the surprise of no one, Disney’s live-action version of “Snow White” was nominated for the internet’s most notorious film awards in 2026.
The massive flop was <a href="https://razzies.com/razz-newz.html">nominated</a> in six categories for the annual Golden Raspberry Awards (Razzies), making it the most nominated film alongside Ice Cube’s “War of the Worlds.” Both films were nominated for “Worst Picture.” 
“A slow-paced unnecessary re-imagining of a classic, filled with drawn-out musical numbers, dopey CGI dwarfs, and enough mediocrity to leave the audience in a very unhappy place,” the press release said of the nomination.
Somehow, activist actress Rachel Zegler managed to avoid being nominated for worst actress, despite many critics blaming her performances both on and off screen for contributing to the disaster. Besides Worst Picture, “Snow White” was nominated in the categories of Worst Remake, Supporting Actors, Screen Combo, Director, and Screenplay.
“Snow White” made just over $206 million worldwide, meaning it did not recoup its massive production budget. It has a 39% critics’ score and 69% audience rating on <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/disneys_snow_white">Rotten Tomatoes</a>.
The New York Times said of the film: “Neither good enough to admire nor bad enough to joyfully skewer; its mediocrity is among its biggest bummers.”
“Presumably one of the reasons to bring actors into remakes of animated classics would be to add a warm-blooded pulse to these characters. Zegler manages that, but everyone else in ‘Snow White’ — mortal or CGI — is as stiff as could be,” said a critic from The Associated Press.
One of the main issues was Zegler, who played the lead, not only insulting Trump voters but also disparaging the source material for the movie she was starring in.
During a 2022 expo, Zegler called Prince Charming a “stalker,” as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disney-hired-social-media-guru-for-rachel-zegler-after-anti-trump-posts-report?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Disney+Hired+%E2%80%98Social+Media+Guru%E2%80%99+For+Rachel+Zegler+After+Anti-Trump+Posts%3A+Report">reported</a>. 
“I mean, you know, the original cartoon came out in 1937 and very evidently so. There’s a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird! Weird. So we didn’t do that this time,” she said at the 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, Andrew Burnap, great dude,” she added. “It’s one of those things that I think everyone’s going to have their assumptions about what it’s going to be, but it’s really not about the love story at all, which is really, really wonderful.”
At another point, Zegler said, “[Snow White is] not going to be saved by the prince and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love,” Zegler said in the clip. “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.”
The Razzies were founded in 1981. Nominations are determined by a group of more than 1,200 voters, and anyone who pays the annual $40 fee or the lifetime membership fee of $500 can count themselves among the voting panel.
As always, the “winners” will be announced on the night before the Academy Awards, which this year falls on March 14.

Disney’s ‘Snow White’ Nominated For 6 Razzies, Including Worst Of 2026

Disney's 'Snow White' Picked As Worst Of 2026, Gets Nominated For 6 Razzies

Disney

“A Minecraft Movie” is smashing box office expectations for its second week in theaters, earning it the top spot as the highest-grossing movie of 2025 so far. The video game-based film starring Jason Momoa and Jack Black earned $80.6 million in ticket sales over the weekend alone, bringing the worldwide total to more than $550 million.
That’s a stark contrast to Disney&#8217;s live-action remake of “Snow White,” which dropped out of the box office top five this week after being pulled from 1,210 theaters less than one month after its premiere, as Forbes <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/timlammers/2025/04/12/snow-white-drops-out-of-box-office-top-5-after-shedding-1210-venues/">reported</a>. 
While “Minecraft” stayed in the top spot, the newly released “The King of Kings,” an animated story of Jesus’ life, came in second with $19.1 million in 3,200 theaters.
While moviegoers have been enthusiastic about “A Minecraft Movie,” theater employees have been less than thrilled following instances of destructive behavior during certain parts of the film. Videos posted to social media include clips of moviegoers, especially teen boys, filming themselves throwing popcorn and other food and drink items and, in one instance, being kicked out for bringing a live chicken to a showing, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/teen-boys-trashing-theaters-causing-mayhem-at-a-minecraft-movie-showings">reported</a>. 
The bad behavior is usually aligned with the viral “chicken jockey” scene, which features Jack Black’s character Steve yelling “chicken jockey!” when a baby zombie appears on screen riding a chicken like a horse. This precedes Jason Momoa’s character, Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison, fighting the zombie.
&#8220;It&#8217;s weird when you&#8217;re having too much fun and the cops get called,&#8221; director Jared Hess <a href="https://ew.com/minecraft-chicken-jockey-director-jared-hess-reacts-exclusive-11712098">told</a> Entertainment Weekly of the incidents. &#8220;I&#8217;ve seen so many funny videos. It&#8217;s great &#8230; I&#8217;m just glad people are making memories with their friends and families.
Meanwhile, “Snow White” is not much closer to recouping the film’s massive $270 million production budget, which does not include months-long worldwide marketing efforts.
In the film’s second weekend, “Snow White” dropped a whopping 66% for a total of $14.3 million, while the crime thriller “A Working Man” nabbed the top spot with $15.3 million.
As multiple controversies saw the film making headlines for all the wrong reasons, “Snow White” premiered with a disappointing $43 million domestic gross, cementing the film as one of the worst-performing live-action remakes Disney ever made.
Several factors likely contributed to the remake’s abysmal results, including controversies over statements made by Rachel Zegler, the film’s leading actress, and issues with the storytelling and use of CGI.

Minecraft

‘Snow White’ Drops Out Of Box Office Top 5 While ‘A Minecraft Movie’ Dominates

'Snow White' Drops Out Of Box Office Top 5 While 'Minecraft Movie' Absolutely Dominates

Box Office

Disney has reportedly halted production of a live-action version of the movie “Tangled” following the disastrous results of the recently released “Snow White.”
“The Greatest Showman” director Michael Gracey was hired as director, while Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who also wrote “Thor: Love and Thunder,” was the scriptwriter. But now, according to sources who spoke with <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/tangled-live-action-remake-pause-disney-1236180940/">The Hollywood Reporter</a>, the project is on hold.
The studio insiders did not mention when the project would move forward or if any changes were being made to what had been done so far. 
“Snow White” dropped to number four at the box office this week after a slow opening and overall lackluster showing. The film has so far earned $69 million domestically and $145 million worldwide meaning it hasn’t recouped its estimated $270 million production budget. 
There are several factors which likely contributed to the remake’s abysmal results. First, the actress playing the film’s titular star, Rachel Zegler, made controversial statements about politics and current events, including saying she hoped Trump supporters “never know peace.” She also mocked the source material for the movie she was starring in, calling Prince Charming a “stalker” and saying the new version of “Snow White” wouldn’t resemble the original.
“We have a different approach to, what I’m sure a lot of people will assume is a love story,” Zegler said in part. “[Snow White is] not going to be saved by the prince and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love,” she continued. “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.”
Most critics also gave it a negative review, leading to “Snow White” earning a 44% critic score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
Disney has been in the live-action remake game for years with varying levels of success. “Cinderella” (2015) was considered a hit, bringing in $540 million against a $90 million budget. Another big success was “Beauty and the Beast” (2017), starring Emma Watson, which received rave reviews from viewers and critics for the cast, songs, and visual design. That remake grossed over $1.26 billion against a $255 million budget.
“Snow White” isn’t the only live-action remake that underperformed expectations. “Dumbo” (2019) was also considered a flop, as was “Pinocchio” (2022).

Tangled

Disney Halts Production On Live-Action ‘Tangled’ After ‘Snow White’ Disaster: Report

Disney Halts Production On Live Action 'Tangled' After 'Snow White' Disaster: Report

U.S.

“Snow White” has been slapped with a warning on IMDb cautioning visitors that it could be the subject of “review bombing” due to the overwhelming majority of one star ratings.
“Unusual activity,” the warning <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6208148/ratings/?ref_=tt_ov_rat">says</a>. “Our rating mechanism has detected unusual voting activity on this title.”
Review bombing is the practice of users intentionally driving a film’s score down by inundating a website with negative reviews, regardless of whether the reviewers have even seen the movie.
Some films are suspected of being the victims of review bombing even when the reviews are legitimate. It’s unclear what is happening for Disney’s latest live-action remake, but according to both critic’s reviews and box office results, “Snow White” is a total disaster on all fronts.
The current IMDb rating is just 1.5 stars, with 91.3% of reviewers awarding it just one star.
“Disney has continued to prove that live-action remakes of classic animated tales are getting tiresome and unoriginal. Besides The Jungle Book and Pete&#8217;s Dragon remake being pretty good, the other remakes have remained dull, baffling, or offensive. Snow White is one of those dull ones,” one featured <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6208148/reviews/?ref_=tt_ururv_sm">review</a> says in part.
“Covered with excessive usages of CGI and colors, the camerawork, production style and colors feel bloated and unsocial. Alongside with the bland direction, uninteresting takes of how they tell the tale and where the characters were once beloved in the animated movie, becomes lifeless and uninteresting here. The choice of using CGI dwarfs really was a bad idea because it came off as quite uncanny and unintentionally creepy to observe at times.”
“As always, whenever there&#8217;s a negative hype around a movie, my mindset is always, prove them wrong, give it a chance,” another reviewer shared. “It&#8217;s diabolical, honestly, I can&#8217;t understand how so much money and so much time has gone into this, the final result is cringe worthy. It is an absolute shocker, I am stumped to find any positives.”
“Disney, what on Earth have you done?” the reviewer concluded.
“If you ever wondered what it would look like if someone took the classic 1937 animated masterpiece, ran it through a corporate buzzword generator, and then tossed in some awkward CGI for good measure-congratulations, you&#8217;ve found your answer,” another reviewer echoed.
The results on popular review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes were no better. Currently, “Snow White” has a 40% critic’s score, and while the audience reviews are slightly higher at 74%, there’s still a lot of criticism for the massively hyped remake.
“Snow White” is underperforming box office expectations and is nowhere near recouping its $270 million production budget, especially after theater attendance <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/snow-white-drops-66-at-box-office-in-2nd-week-a-working-man-takes-top-spot">dropped 66%</a> during its second weekend in theaters nationwide.

‘Snow White’ Gets ‘Unusual Activity’ Disclaimer On IMDb As 1-Star Ratings Abound

'Snow White' Gets 'Unusual Activity' Disclaimer On IMDb As 1-Star Ratings Abound

Disney&#8217;s “Snow White” fell off a cliff during its second weekend in theaters, with ticket sales dropping 66% as Amazon MGM Studios&#8217; “A Working Man&#8221; took over the top spot at the box office.
Disney looks no closer to recouping the film’s massive $270 million production budget, which does not include months-long worldwide marketing efforts. Per <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/2025W13/">Box Office Mojo</a>, “Snow White” brought in just $14.2 million over its second weekend at theaters. 
These disappointing numbers come on the heels of a lackluster opening weekend for the massive Disney production. As multiple controversies saw the film making headlines for all the wrong reasons, “Snow White” premiered with a disappointing $43 million domestic gross, cementing the film as one of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/snow-white-bombs-with-one-of-disneys-lowest-opening-weekends-for-a-remake">worst-performing live-action remakes</a> Disney ever made.
“A Working Man” is an action thriller starring Jason Statham as a military man-turned-construction foreman who uses his combat skills to rescue his employer&#8217;s kidnapped daughter from Russian traffickers. It has nowhere near the amount of name recognition or promotions as “Snow White.”
It’s worth noting that the original 1937 animated film, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” cost just $1.5 million to make and became the top-earning animated film ever, adjusted for inflation when counting all the re-releases over the years. The beloved Disney classic has grossed just over $1.5 billion in revenue worldwide, <a href="https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/highest-box-office-film-gross-for-an-animation-inflation-adjusted">per</a> The Guinness Book of World Records. 
There are several factors which likely contributed to the remake’s abysmal results. First, the actress playing the film’s titular star, Rachel Zegler, who has <a href="https://www.thewrap.com/rachel-zegler-white-west-side-story-executives-latina/">described</a> herself as a &#8220;white Latina,&#8221; made a series of controversial statements about politics and current events, including saying she hoped Trump supporters &#8220;never know peace.&#8221; She also made fun of the source material for the movie she was starring in, calling Prince Charming a “stalker” and saying the new version of “Snow White” wouldn’t resemble the original.
“We have a different approach to, what I’m sure a lot of people will assume is a love story,” Zegler <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disney-hired-social-media-guru-for-rachel-zegler-after-anti-trump-posts-report">said</a> in part. “[Snow White is] not going to be saved by the prince and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love,” she continued. “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.”
Most critics have totally trashed the film. “Snow White” currently has a 44% critic score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
One critic described the movie as “made by people with cartoon dollar signs for eyes and not even the tiniest glimmer of art in their souls.”

‘Snow White’ Drops 66% At Box Office In 2nd Week, ‘A Working Man’ Takes Top Spot

'Snow White' Drops 60% At The Box Office In Second Week, Loses Top Spot To 'A Working Man'

Christian Bale pulled a Rachel Zegler before anyone knew the young actress’ name.
Everyone recalled Bale’s work from the “Dark Knight” trilogy, so when director Ridley Scott cast him in 2014’s “Exodus: Gods and Kings” it mattered. Who wouldn’t want the Oscar winner in their next project?
Then Bale dubbed Moses a “<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/christian-bale-says-moses-could-be-considered-a-terrorist/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">terrorist</a>” in publicity interviews for the film.
&#8220;If you&#8217;re not religious, you can look at it as one man&#8217;s freedom fighter is another man&#8217;s terrorist,&#8221; he said of Moses.
<div id="attachment_899039" style="width: 792px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-899039" class="size-large wp-image-899039" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-460174862-782x576.jpg" alt="GOOD MORNING AMERICA - Christian Bale is a guest on &quot;Good Morning America,&quot; 12/5/14, airing on the Walt Disney Television Network. (Photo by Fred Lee/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images)" width="782" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-460174862-782x576.jpg 782w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-460174862-300x221.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-460174862-768x566.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-460174862.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 782px) 100vw, 782px" />Fred Lee/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images</div>
Religious audiences, otherwise curious to see a movie featuring Moses, weren’t amused. The film, despite the talents of Scott and Bale, tanked.
Sound familiar?
By now, everyone knows how Zegler helped crush Disney’s “Snow White” at the box office. She’s not alone, though.
Stars routinely damage their own projects with ill-advised comments. That mostly involves stars getting hyper-political on publicity tours, stoking partisan rage. Many movie goers refuse to see movies made by two-time Oscar winner Sean Penn, for example, due to decades of charged comments.
Just look at Robert De Niro. He has spent nearly a decade savaging President Donald Trump from every available platform. His latest film, “The Alto Knights,” opened to a disastrous $3.1 million despite his gravitas in gangster movies and tackling not one but two mobster roles in the film.
Was it something he said? It can’t be ruled out.
The Zegler fallout, though, is different. And it could be the final warning for stars to heed when they talk to the press moving forward. Anger potential fans at your peril.
<div id="attachment_899013" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-899013" class="size-large wp-image-899013" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2205296417-864x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 15: Rachel Zegler attends the World Premiere of Disney's Snow White at El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 15, 2025. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for Disney)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2205296417-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2205296417-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2205296417-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2205296417.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for Disney</div>
“Snow White’s” slow-moving car crash began two years ago when <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/rachel-zegler-viral-backlash-snow-white-disney-live-action-rcna99848" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Zegler trashed the iconic source material</a> on the red carpet.
“I just mean that it’s no longer 1937 … We absolutely wrote a ‘Snow White’ that &#8230; she’s not going to be saved by the prince, and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love; she’s going to be dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be and that her late father told her that she could be if she was fearless, fair, brave and true.”
<div id="attachment_610047" style="width: 690px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-610047" class="wp-image-610047 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/GettyImages-1243085976-copy1.jpeg" alt="D23 EXPO 2022 - The Ultimate Disney Fan Event presented by VISA - brings together all the worlds of Disney under one roof for three packed days of presentations, pavilions, experiences, concerts, sneak peeks, shopping, and more. The event, which takes place September 9, 10, and 11 at the Anaheim Convention Center, provides fans with unprecedented access to Disney films, series, games, theme parks, collectibles, and celebrities. (The Walt Disney Company via Getty Images) Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot" width="680" height="504" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/GettyImages-1243085976-copy1.jpeg 680w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/08/GettyImages-1243085976-copy1-300x222.jpeg 300w" sizes=" (max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px" />The Walt Disney Company via Getty Images. Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot.</div>
A separate interview found her mocking the story’s male hero, the prince who saves Snow White with a kiss.
“Weird,” she infamously called him, reframing his affection as a “stalker.”
&#8220;It&#8217;s really not about the love story at all, which is really, really wonderful.&#8221;
Tell that to adults who grew up adoring “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” the 1937 animated film that helped launch Disney into the pop culture stratosphere. Chances are they introduced the classic story to their children and grandchildren.
That’s the opposite of weird.
Zegler opened her mouth and inserted both feet. Enter an army of YouTube personalities who ran with Zegler’s quotes.
Had she opined in the past, the quotes would have circulated in the press and faded to black. In our digital age, they only got more attention as the months wore on. It got worse when she started braying, “Free Palestine” on social media, another deeply divisive message.
It didn’t help that her co-star, Gal Gadot, is Israeli and served in the IDF.
Then, before the film’s belated March 2025 opening, Zegler raged against President Donald Trump and, more specifically, his supporters. She hoped they would “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disneys-snow-white-actress-attacks-trump-voters-tells-people-to-leave-x" target="_blank" rel="noopener">never know peace.”</a>
Now, we’re seeing the fruits of her warped words. “Snow White” opened to a dreadful $43 million at the U.S. box office, the worst showing to date for a Disney live-action update. The film had other issues, like Disney disavowing dwarfs as problematic before backpedaling and adding CGI little people.
Zegler’s comments made the most noise, to the film’s detriment.
It’s not enough that Zegler helped sink her own film. The industry called her out for doing just that. Variety ran an <a href="https://variety.com/2025/film/news/snow-white-death-threats-zegler-social-media-guru-1236347433/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exhaustive autopsy</a> on the film’s failure, letting anonymous Disney sources trash the young star. An executive from a different studio also chimed in, “You can’t say that a live-action remake of the most iconic film in the vault that cost [$270] million and has been reshot multiple times opening to $50 million is OK. The math does not work.&#8221;
Media outlets couldn’t hide how damaging her comments had been to the film’s box office potential, even though reporters have yet to connect De Niro’s box office tailspin to his anti-Trump diatribes.
<div id="attachment_899055" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-899055" class="size-large wp-image-899055" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2206051478-864x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 20: Actress Rachel Zegler is seen leaving &quot;Good Morning America&quot; on March 20, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Raymond Hall/GC Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2206051478-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2206051478-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2206051478-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/GettyImages-2206051478.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Raymond Hall/GC Images</div>
Even Jonah Platt, son of “Snow White” producer Marc Platt, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2025/03/27/rachel-zegler-snow-white-marc-platt-jonah/82686271007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">weighed in</a> against Zegler.
&#8220;My dad, the producer of (an) enormous piece of Disney IP with hundreds of millions of dollars on the line, had to leave his family to fly across the country to reprimand his 20 year old employee for dragging her personal politics into the middle of promoting the movie for which she signed a multi-million dollar contract to get paid and do publicity for … This is called adult responsibility and accountability. And her actions clearly hurt the film&#8217;s box office.&#8221;
Those Platt quotes also got magnified by legacy media outlets.
Will the Zegler Effect change Hollywood? It could.
Hollywood can&#8217;t afford more “Snow White” debacles. The box office is down, again, this year, and 2024’s numbers suggest pre-pandemic levels of movie going may be gone with the wind.
We&#8217;ll never go back to the Golden Age of Hollywood where the studios controlled what the actors could and couldn&#8217;t say. No one wants or encourages that level of control.
Still, it doesn’t take years of media training to understand a simple policy. Don’t alienate potential audiences when promoting your film or TV show. That shouldn’t be complicated, but apparently it is for some stars.
The Zegler fallout may make some actors think twice before trashing their own films or the people they need to watch them.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

World Premiere Of Walt Disney Studios’ “Snow White”

The Real Cost Of The Rachel Zegler Fallout

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“Snow White” producer Marc Platt’s son, Jonah Platt, called actress Rachel Zegler “immature” and more amid the film’s struggles at the box office.
After some online attacked Marc Platt, calling him “creepy as hell” following a report about the producer trying to rein in the young actress&#8217; controversial comments, Jonah Platt slammed Zegler in a post that has since been deleted.
“You really want to do this?” Platt’s son <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/snow-white-marc-platt-jonah-slams-rachel-zegler-1236173434/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>. “Yeah, my dad, the producer of enormous piece of Disney IP with hundreds of millions of dollars on the line, had to leave his family to fly across the country to reprimand his 20 year old employee for dragging her personal politics into the middle of promoting the movie for which she signed a multi-million dollar contract to get paid and do publicity for.”
“This is called adult responsibility and accountability,” he added. “And her actions clearly hurt the film’s box office. Free speech does not mean you’re allowed to say whatever you want in your private employment without repercussions.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NEW: The son of &#8216;Snow White&#8217; producer Marc Platt absolutely unleashes on Rachel Zegler for ruining his father&#8217;s movie.
Jonah Platt is ripping the 23-year-old actress for getting political and ruining Snow White.
The comment from Platt was found on Instagram after one user asked… <a href="https://t.co/1k1xnnw2af">pic.twitter.com/1k1xnnw2af</a>
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) <a href="https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/1905038466557280712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
“Tens of thousands of people worked on that film and she hijacked the conversation for her own immature desires at the risk of all the colleagues and crew and blue collar workers who depend on that movie to be successful,” Jonah continued. “Narcissism is not something to be coddled or encouraged.”
The live-action remake of Disney’s 1937 animated classic had its worst-ever opening weekend for a classic remake and will likely come nowhere close to recouping its massive $270 million production budget, as previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/snow-white-bombs-with-one-of-disneys-lowest-opening-weekends-for-a-remake">reported</a>. The film brought in just $43 million domestically, which was on par with major studio flop “Dumbo” (2019), which made $46 million during its debut.
The vocal left-wing activist has made headlines numerous times leading up to the film’s release. First when she faced backlash after she slammed the original story, describing the prince as a “stalker” and made it clear the live-action story she was part of would have nothing in common with the “weird” original 1937 love story.
Months later in an interview for <a href="https://x.com/realDailyWire/status/1734342385721844037">Variety</a> with fellow Disney actress Halle Bailey, Zegler appeared to sing a different tune when she gushed over the original “Snow White” as “a monumental moment in film history,” and said she “loves everything the Disney company has put out” since its inception.
In November, Zegler had to issue an apology after attacking Trump voters following a rant on social media about the election results.
“Hi everyone, I would like to sincerely apologize for the election post I shared on my Instagram last week,” Zegler wrote amid calls to boycott the upcoming Disney film, the <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/11/15/entertainment/snow-white-star-rachel-zegler-apologizes-after-post-about-trump-voters/">New York Post </a>reported.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/snow-white-star-rachel-zegler-apologizes-after-backlash-for-attacking-trump-voters" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘Snow White’ Star Rachel Zegler Apologizes After Backlash For Attacking Trump Voters</a>

‘Snow White’ Producer’s Son Destroys Rachel Zegler Amid Film’s Box Office Struggles

Donald Trump

Disney reportedly hired a social media expert to vet “Snow White” leading actress, Rachel Zegler, after the actress insulted Trump voters following the 2024 election.
Variety <a href="https://variety.com/2025/film/news/snow-white-death-threats-zegler-social-media-guru-1236347433/">reported</a> that the movie’s producer, Marc Platt, made the move following social media posts Zegler shared, including one that said “F*** Donald Trump” and another saying she hoped Trump supporters would “never know peace.”
The 23-year-old star later apologized for the remarks. Per the Variety report, she also agreed to work with the social media expert.
This was after Zegler posted on X in August 2024 to thank fans for helping the trailer get to 120 million views. She added a <a href="https://x.com/rachelzegler/status/1823146134769893534">follow up</a> which said, “and always remember, free palestine.”  
That follow up tweet earned 8.8 million views, which was four times more than the original post. It also added to the drama surrounding the film — which was in large part due to Zegler making controversial statements.
The outlet noted that Zegler’s Israeli co-star Gal Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen in the movie, started receiving death threats after the post went up. Variety’s source says Gadot was issued added security the studio had to pay for. 
“She didn’t understand the repercussions of her actions as far as what that meant for the film, for Gal, for anyone,” their source told the outlet.
This wasn’t the first time Zegler caused issues for Disney. The remarks about Trump voters and her “free Palestine” statement came after the actress caused a frenzy for disparaging comments she made about the original 1937 animated movie upon which the live action version is based.
During a 2022 expo, Zegler <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disneys-snow-white-star-slammed-as-she-continues-bashing-original-film-in-another-resurfaced-video">called</a> Prince Charming a “stalker.”
“I mean, you know, the original cartoon came out in 1937 and very evidently so. There’s a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird! Weird. So we didn’t do that this time,” she said at the 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, Andrew Burnap, great dude,” she added. “It’s one of those things that I think everyone’s going to have their assumptions about what it’s going to be, but it’s really not about the love story at all, which is really, really wonderful.”
At another point, Zegler said, “[Snow White is] not going to be saved by the prince and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love,” Zegler said in the clip. “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.”
For this and other reasons, “Snow White” has been underperforming box office expectations and hasn’t come anywhere near recouping its massive $270 million production budget. It had one of the worst opening weekends for a Disney remake in history, bringing in just $43 million total.

Disney Hired ‘Social Media Guru’ For Rachel Zegler After Anti-Trump Posts: Report

Disney Hired 'Social Media Guru' For Rachel Zegler After Anti-Trump Posts: Report

Social Media

“Snow White” leading actress Rachel Zegler is getting mercilessly mocked online for bragging about the live-action Disney remake taking top honors at the box office.
“#1 MOVIE IN THE WORLD!” the 23-year-old star captioned a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DHl6_lIvX31/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link">restricted Instagram post</a> with limited comments alongside a photo of her dressed as the titular Disney princess while waving from a trailer on the film’s set. The caption also featured a red apple emoji and a snowflake emoji.
While Zegler may be technically correct that “Snow White” came in first place, the truth is that the film has one of Disney’s worst-ever opening weekends for a remake and came nowhere near to recouping its massive $270 million production budget. 
The film brought in just $43 million domestically, which was on par with major studio flop “Dumbo” (2019), which made $46 million during its debut.
For comparison, Disney’s live-action update of “The Little Mermaid” (2023) made $95 million during its first weekend. Movie insiders and mainstream media outlets have all been reporting that “Snow White” is on its way to becoming one of the biggest flops the studio ever had.
Online critics were quick to point this out in the comments, mocking Zegler for celebrating such an obvious disaster. 
“What in the Hunter Biden have you been smoking ?? You have the worst opening in Disney history,” one social media commenter replied. 
“A lower score than Dragon Ball evolution the movie in IMDb hahahahahahahahaha,” another one said.
“It’s just because there’s no competition .. not true at all,” another person replied, alluding to the fact that there were no other major premieres last weekend when “Snow White” nabbed the top spot.
The next highest earner behind “Snow White” for the weekend of March 21 was the thriller “Black Bag,” which brought in $4.2 million. 
“The biggest flop ever,” another Instagram user wrote.
“Are you delusional?” echoed another.
Besides just performing poorly at the box office, the film has also been totally trashed by most critics. “Snow White&#8221; currently has a 44% critic score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
One critic described the movie as “a film made by people with cartoon dollar signs for eyes and not even the tiniest glimmer of art in their souls.”

‘Snow White’ Star Rachel Zegler Mocked For Celebrating Film Being ‘#1 Movie In The World’

'Snow White' Star Rachel Zegler Mocked For Celebrating Film Being '#1 Movie In The World'

Another foreign company brings business back to the United States, accidental texts reveal confidential conversations between cabinet members, a federal judge continues to stand in the way of Trump’s deportation agenda, and Disney’s newest live-action remake could become its biggest flop of all.
It’s Tuesday, March 25th, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. If you’d rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/car-maker-invests-big-snow-white-bombs-3-25-25/id1576594336?i=1000700724795" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h2>You Win Some</h2>
<div id="attachment_897097" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-897097" class="size-large wp-image-897097" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Trump-Hyundai-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Trump-Hyundai-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Trump-Hyundai-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Trump-Hyundai-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)</div>
Topline: South Korean car manufacturer Hyundai announced Monday that it would invest more than $20 billion in the United States to build new steel and auto plants. Meanwhile, senior Trump officials accidentally included a left-wing journalist in classified military discussions.
Hyundai has joined the long list of companies pouring billions of dollars into American manufacturing. On Monday, the South Korean car giant announced a nearly $21 billion investment in the United States — for context, that’s equal to the total amount they’ve invested here since 1986. As part of that effort, it will build a $6 billion steel plant in Louisiana that will employ more than 1,400 Americans. The company currently has two major auto plants on American soil — now it will open a third in Georgia, which will create another 8,000 jobs.
“With your leadership, Mr. President, Hyundai Motor Group is proud to be a stronger partner in America’s industrial future,” Hyundai’s Executive Chair Euisun Chung said at a White House press conference.
The president’s tariff policies had a significant influence on Hyundai’s decision to onshore jobs. As Hyundai Motor CEO Jose Munoz put it, “The best way for [Hyundai] to navigate tariffs is to increase localization.”
Monday’s announcement is only the latest in a series of investment pledges since Trump took office. Apple announced it was pouring $500 billion into new American manufacturing projects over the next four years. Before that, Japan’s SoftBank announced a hundred billion dollar investment in American AI infrastructure. Asian chip manufacturer Taiwan Semiconductor is pouring a hundred billion dollars to build high-tech chips in America. The United Arab Emirates announced a ten-year, $1.4 trillion investment in high-tech manufacturing. According to the president, there have been up to $4 trillion worth of new investments in the United States since Inauguration Day.
“This investment is a clear demonstration that tariffs very strongly work,” President Trump said. “And I hope other things also, but the tariffs are bringing them in at levels that have not been witnessed.&#8221;
<h3>You Lose Some&#8230;</h3>
<div id="attachment_897093" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-897093" class="size-large wp-image-897093" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Signal-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Signal-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Signal-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Signal-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Signal-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Signal-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Signal-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Signal-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />(Photo by Matthias Balk/picture alliance via Getty Images)</div>
On Monday, The Atlantic&#8217;s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, published a report entitled “The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans.” That is exactly what happened.
Two weeks ago, Goldberg was mistakenly added to a group chat on the unclassified messaging app Signal. The chat included Vice President JD Vance, SecDef Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, along with the heads of the CIA, DNI, etc. Over the course of multiple days, the group debated whether or not to launch airstrikes against Houthi terrorists in Yemen who’ve been attacking ships in the Suez Canal for years.
Goldberg published a number of those messages — in one, VP Vance weighs the potential risks of airstrikes, writing, “3 percent of US trade runs through the suez. 40 percent of European trade does. There is a real risk that the public doesn’t understand this or why it’s necessary. The strongest reason to do this is, as POTUS said, to send a message.” Later, Vance said he “hate[s] bailing Europe out again” but would support the strikes if the team was in agreement. Ultimately, the group, led by Hegseth, opted to push for the strikes, which were carried out on March 15.
“This appears to be an authentic message chain, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain,” said National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes.
While no incriminating messages were published, it’s certainly an embarrassing mishap for the administration, and there could be consequences. A number of prominent Democrats on the Hill have called for heads to roll and vowed to investigate why sensitive national security conversations were being held in such a manner. The White House <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-acknowledges-journalist-was-inadvertently-added-to-high-level-chat-on-houthi-strikes?topStoryPosition=undefined">confirmed</a> the legitimacy of the group chat, telling our own Mary Margaret Olohan, “We are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain,” while adding, “The thread is a demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials.”
<h2>Immigration Court Case Continues</h2>
<div id="attachment_897091" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-897091" class="size-large wp-image-897091" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Darth-Boasberg-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Darth-Boasberg-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Darth-Boasberg-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Darth-Boasberg-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Darth-Boasberg-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Darth-Boasberg-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Darth-Boasberg-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Darth-Boasberg-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />(Photo by Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images)</div>
Topline: The Trump administration has been blocked again from deporting aliens under a 1798 invasion law.
On Monday, federal district court Judge James Boasberg decided not to lift a temporary restraining order he placed on the Trump administration to block its use of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act. The administration used it to move illegal aliens with alleged Venezuelan gang ties to El Salvador &#8212; the United States struck a deal with El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, earlier this year to hold illegal aliens in its modern prison system. The judge said the administration misapplied the law and violated the due process rights of dozens of the illegal aliens flown to El Salvador.
Boasberg believes that shipping the aliens to El Salvador without a court hearing violated their due process rights. He also said that the administration’s use of the act to move the alleged gang members is likely an abuse of the law because, in his interpretation, it’s only applicable in wartime. The administration’s interpretation is a bit different. Trump’s team points out that the text of the law says that it can be used in wartime or when “any invasion or predatory incursion is perpetrated … against the territory of the United States.”
Critics of Boasberg and other lower court judges who have blocked elements of the president’s agenda have accused them of judicial activism and say their decisions are clearly politically biased rather than reflecting an impartial reading of the Constitution.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) observed on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uVJCRXMGvQ">Fox News</a> over the weekend that “62% of the federal injunctions, for example, that have been handed down in the last century have been handed down against President Trump, and 92% of those were done by partisan Democrat-appointed judges.”
Republicans in Congress are <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jim-jordan-says-house-may-soon-pass-bill-targeting-nationwide-injunctions">currently exploring</a> options for reigning in the power of the lower courts to issue nationwide injunctions.
<h2>“Magic Mirror on the Wall, What’s the Biggest Flop of All?”</h2>
<div id="attachment_897089" style="width: 880px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-897089" class="size-large wp-image-897089" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Poisoned-Apple-870x576.jpg" alt="" width="870" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Poisoned-Apple-870x576.jpg 870w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Poisoned-Apple-300x199.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Poisoned-Apple-768x509.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Poisoned-Apple-1536x1017.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/03/Poisoned-Apple-2048x1357.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px" />(Photo by MDBrockmann via Getty Images)</div>
Topline: After a year of delays, Disney’s latest live-action remake, &#8220;Snow White,&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/snow-white-bombs-with-one-of-disneys-lowest-opening-weekends-for-a-remake">tanked</a> at the box office on its opening weekend. The film, once poised to be a crown jewel in Disney’s lineup, has instead become a cautionary tale.
&#8220;Snow White&#8221; opened to a dismal $43 million domestically and $87 million worldwide against a reported $270 million budget. While the exact numbers are still being finalized, that means the reimagining of the beloved 1937 classic had one of the worst openings for a Disney live-action remake ever.
Many critics attribute the cool reception of the film to its deliberate inversion of the source material: Disney took a classic tale of romance and true love and turned it into one of self-empowerment.
Rachel Zegler, a Hispanic actress who played the titular character, has been a lightning rod for controversy – initially because she wasn’t a physical match for the princess whose “skin was white as snow” and later because of her caustic comments about the quality of the original film.
“The original cartoon came out in 1937 and very evidently so,” Zegler said in 2023. &#8220;There is a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her &#8212; weird, weird. So we didn&#8217;t do that this time.”
Other political controversies also grabbed headlines in the lead-up to the film’s release, including dueling stances from Zegler and co-star Gal Gadot on the war between Israel and Hamas. Zegler is a <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/03/21/disney-tried-rein-in-snow-white-star-free-palestine-tweet/">vocal supporter</a> of the Palestinians, while Gadot is an Israeli Jew who served in the IDF and has spoken out in defense of her country’s ongoing war effort, leading to <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/snow-white-film-faces-anti-israel-boycott-calls-targeting-gal-gadot/">backlash</a> from people on both <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2024/aug/25/snow-white-israel-gaza-rachel-zegler-gal-gadot">sides of the issue</a>. Zegler also made waves when she told Trump voters she “didn’t need their business” in the lead-up to the election, and then afterward stated that she hopes Trump supporters never know peace &#8212; she would <a href="https://cbsaustin.com/news/nation-world/disney-actress-apologizes-for-wishing-no-peace-on-trump-supporters-negative-discourse-rachel-zegler-live-action-snow-white-presidential-election-kamala">later</a> attempt to walk that statement back.
But politics may not have been the driving force behind the film’s disappointing returns &#8212; it performed about as well in red counties as it did in blue counties, and the consensus among those who have seen the film is that it isn’t very good: even critics were generally sour on it, and the film is certified rotten on rating website <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/disneys_snow_white">Rotten Tomatoes</a>, with a 43% critic score and a 22% approval rating by all audiences. Perhaps there’s general fatigue with the Disney remakes, which have generally been soulless, shallow, cynical cash-grab simulacra of some of the most beloved films of all time.
International receipts and a second life on Disney+ could help &#8220;Snow White&#8221; break even, but the reputational damage of a domestic flop could have a major impact on Disney&#8217;s brand.

Trump Hails Hyundai Plan For US Expansion As Vindicating Tariffs

Morning Brief: Trump Tariff Win, Accidental Texts, & Snow White’s Poisoned Box Office

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Disney’s woke “Snow White” is a total bomb so far.
While the live-action remake of the 1937 animated classic was number one at last weekend’s box office, the numbers it put up did little to make up for the movie’s massive $270 million production budget. Early projections had “Snow White” bringing in between $45 and $55 million, which would have been bad enough. 
Instead, the movie starring Rachel Zegler in the titular role and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen only earned $43 million, making it one of Disney’s lowest-earning opening weekends for a remake ever. Prior to now, Disney’s live-action remake of &#8220;Dumbo&#8221; (2019) held that title, earning just $46 million during its debut.
For comparison, Disney’s live-action update of “The Little Mermaid” (2023) made $95 million during its first weekend. Scandal-free “Cinderella” grossed $91.8 million during its opening weekend in 2015 against a $138.3 million budget, per <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/23/business/snow-white-box-office-controversy/index.html">CNN</a>. The Lion King (2019) was the highest earner, with $191 million, while the live-action “Beauty and the Beast” (2017) brought in $174 million.
These results feel inevitable after months of controversy for multiple reasons. First, Zegler went on record saying she didn’t care for the original film and argued that Prince Charming was a “stalker.” The actress made it clear the live-action story would have nothing in common with the “weird” original 1937 love story.
There was also backlash over Disney using live actors to portray the seven dwarves, leading the studio to replace them with CGI. But then, when the trailer was released, viewers <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fans-rip-disney-for-new-snow-white-trailer-especially-nightmare-fuel-cgi-dwarfs">described</a> the computer-generated dwarves as “nightmare fuel.” Earlier this month, actors with dwarfism <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/total-travesty-dwarfs-to-protest-snow-white-after-cgi-used-instead-of-actors">said</a> they would be protesting Disney for replacing them with CGI.
It’s also not helping matters that “Snow White” was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/snow-white-reviews-from-critics-are-mostly-negative-so-bland-it-barely-registers">mostly trashed</a> by critics and currently has a 44% score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
“Gloss prevails over heart in nearly every scene, and plot beats feel contrived,” a reviewer from The Wall Street Journal wrote.
The New York Times said of the film: “Neither good enough to admire nor bad enough to joyfully skewer; its mediocrity is among its biggest bummers.”
“Presumably one of the reasons to bring actors into remakes of animated classics would be to add a warm-blooded pulse to these characters. Zegler manages that, but everyone else in ‘Snow White’ — mortal or CGI — is as stiff as could be,” said a critic from The Associated Press.

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