Disney's live-action "Snow White" remake has reportedly suffered a staggering $170 million loss, marking it as one of the biggest box office bombs in cinematic history. This financial setback comes after years of controversies and tepid results at the box office. Forbes reported that the recent controversial remake cost a whopping $336.5 million, yet met with low returns. The outlet explained that this can be discerned thanks to the fact the movie was filmed in the United Kingdom, where local laws provide generous reimbursements but come with heavy rules. As a result, Disney had to create a subsidiary company, Hidden Heart Productions, to film there, revealing its massive expenses. The writer emphasized that the $336.5 million spent on Snow White is higher than the cost of Disney's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, its Guardians of the Galaxy Marvel movie, and its live-action version of Beauty and the Beast, which grossed a staggering $1.3 billion in 2017. Despite the U.K. government's reimbursement of $64.9 million, the production still faced challenges. The amount that theaters pay to studios is known as a rental fee, and according to film industry consultant Stephen Follows, theaters keep 49% of the takings on average. This research lends weight to the widely-established 50-50 split, which would give Disney just $102.9 million from Snow White, yielding a $168.7 million loss at the box office after deducting the $271.6 million net spending on the movie. Beyond financial woes, the remake of the iconic film has had its fair share of cultural controversies. In 2022, Peter Dinklage criticized Disney for remaking a 'f—ing backwards story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together,' while being progressive with its casting of lead actress Rachel Zegler. Disney reportedly responded in 2023 by replacing the dwarfs with multiracial and gender-mixed 'magical creatures,' but later scrapped this plan in favor of using computer-animated mythological dwarfs. Zegler also stirred controversy by speaking ill of the original 1937 film, criticizing Israel, and posting on social media, 'May Trump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace,' adding, 'F— Donald Trump.' Disney didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
