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The live-action Snow White remake has taken another dramatic turn—this time, with its leading star at the center of the storm. Reports suggest Rachel Zegler lashed out online following claims that the film was yanked from theaters just weeks after its March 21, 2025 debut. With a staggering $270 million budget, the film has struggled from the start, marred by ongoing controversies and a lackluster box office showing.

Zegler’s fiery reaction has only intensified the public spectacle, reigniting debates that have followed the film since casting announcements first stirred the pot. From political debates to polarized fan reactions, the project has faced criticism at every turn—and now, Zegler’s social media response has added a dramatic new layer to an already turbulent tale.

Snow White’s Bumpy Journey: From Controversy to Catastrophe

From the moment Disney announced Rachel Zegler as the lead in its live-action Snow White, the project seemed destined to divide audiences. Zegler, a Colombian-Polish actress, faced backlash from purists who felt her casting strayed too far from the 1937 animated original, which famously described Snow White as having “skin white as snow.”

The controversy only deepened when Zegler’s 2022 comments at Disney’s D23 Expo resurfaced a year later. She openly criticized the original storyline, dismissing the classic love story as “weird” and describing the prince as a “stalker.” Her remarks, which promised a more “empowered” version of Snow White, ignited a firestorm online—particularly among fans who saw the reinterpretation as dismissive of Disney’s roots.

Production woes added to the chaos. COVID-related delays, expensive reshoots, and the industry-wide strikes of 2023 pushed the film’s release from 2024 to early 2025. Disney also faced heat over its decision to replace the traditional Seven Dwarfs with CGI characters, sparking criticism from figures like Peter Dinklage and Jason Acuna, who accused the studio of preaching inclusivity while sidelining actors with dwarfism.

By the time Snow White reached theaters in March 2025, it had already become a cultural flashpoint. The reviews were harsh—Rotten Tomatoes scores hovered in the low 40s, and IMDb ratings tanked at a staggering 1.6/10, as the film became a target for online review-bombing.

A Box Office Nightmare

Financially, the numbers were just as brutal. The film debuted with a modest $43 million domestically and $87 million globally—far from enough to cover its bloated $270 million production budget. In its second weekend, earnings nosedived by 66%, and worldwide totals crawled to $143.1 million. Industry analysts now expect the film to max out at $225 million globally—leaving Disney in the red by over $100 million, even after factoring in future streaming and home video revenues.

For comparison, Disney’s Dumbo remake pulled in $115 million in North America alone on a smaller $170 million budget—making Snow White not just a disappointment, but one of the studio’s most significant financial flops in recent memory.

A Premature Farewell: Disney Quietly Pulls the Plug

By early April 2025, whispers turned into headlines as reports emerged that Disney was beginning to quietly pull Snow White from theaters across the U.S.—a highly unusual move for a blockbuster barely two weeks into its theatrical run. Though Disney had yet to issue an official statement as of April 5, major theater chains had already slashed showtimes, with some dropping the film altogether due to dwindling attendance.

Social media lit up with empty-theater snapshots and memes mocking the film’s abrupt vanishing act. Some critics even joked about launching a GoFundMe to help Disney recover the losses. The premature withdrawal only fueled speculation that the studio had decided to cut its losses and move on, rather than prolong the public fallout from what’s increasingly seen as one of Disney’s biggest misfires.

Zegler’s Digital Meltdown

Meanwhile, Rachel Zegler’s reaction to the film’s decline became a spectacle of its own. On April 5—the same day YouTube personalities like “Teatime with Teana” began uploading videos with titles like Rachel Zegler COMPLETELY LOSES IT ONLINE—the actress reportedly went on a social media rant.

Although many of the alleged posts have not been verified and could be exaggerated by internet commentary, online chatter suggests Zegler expressed outrage over the backlash, criticized Disney’s handling of the project, and blamed audiences for rejecting what she described as a more progressive, empowered version of the character. Posts from users like @darkcursse164 implied her online tirade may have contributed to the film’s nosedive, with one quipping, “Might have something to do with the comments she made after Snow White released that basically tanked the box office.”

Whether her alleged outburst was a moment of unfiltered emotion or just another exaggerated episode in the film’s chaotic saga, it marked yet another low point in a story that’s been anything but magical.

The Internet Explodes

Zegler’s reported outburst sent X into overdrive. @GaMtnChief gloated, “Disney just doesn’t get it. Go Woke go Broke! And that insufferable, untalented egomaniac Zegler is nothing but a spoiled brat,” linking to a YouTube video. @archiekins29 sarcastically congratulated her for “breaking the record for the lowest opening screen gross,” while @YellowFlashGuy claimed she was “FIRED from Hollywood” and that Snow White “KILLED her career.” Others, like @TheFabBookLover, called her theater visit with friends “delusional” and likened it to “serial killer vibes.” The sentiment on X leaned heavily anti-Zegler, with “Go woke, go broke” becoming a rallying cry.

Yet not everyone piled on. Some fans and industry peers defended her. Melissa Barrera, fired from Scream 7 for her own pro-Palestine stance, had previously called Zegler “cool as hell and full of integrity” in response to a Variety piece critics dubbed a “hit job.” Journalist Mark Harris accused Disney of scapegoating Zegler for the film’s failure, writing on Bluesky that the studio’s blame game was “astonishingly graceless.” Over 50 journalists signed an open letter condemning the narrative, and stars like Ariana Grande and Lucy Liu voiced support. Still, the online mob seemed more interested in dunking on Zegler than dissecting the film’s broader issues.

What Really Went Wrong?

Blaming Rachel Zegler alone for Snow White’s collapse is tempting—but far too simplistic. The film’s troubles were brewing long before her rumored social media meltdown. Behind the scenes, production was plagued by delays, reshoots, and a marketing campaign that felt oddly muted. According to The Hollywood Reporter, advance ticket sales didn’t even open until two weeks before the film’s debut—an unusually tight window for a $270 million release.

Disney’s cautious rollout signaled deeper doubts. The studio skipped a U.K. premiere entirely and kept press coverage to a minimum at its Los Angeles event, raising eyebrows. Meanwhile, the creative choices—like replacing the traditional Seven Dwarfs with CGI “magical creatures” and sidelining the classic love story—alienated long-time fans who cherished the simplicity of the original.

Zegler’s casting and outspoken interviews became lightning rods, but the backlash also reflected a broader cultural divide. Her comments about the original film and its romance drew ire from traditionalists, yet they were only part of a wider storm around how legacy properties are being reimagined.

There’s also the reality of remake fatigue. Disney’s early live-action reboots like The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast were billion-dollar juggernauts, but recent entries like Mufasa and The Little Mermaid have shown clear signs of diminishing interest. With Snow White based on an 88-year-old classic and heavily reworked for modern sensibilities, audiences may have struggled to connect with either the nostalgia or the new direction.

Interestingly, Zegler herself wasn’t the issue for many critics. Outlets like CBR praised her performance as a “shining supernova.” But strong acting couldn’t save a film dragged down by a clunky script, tonal confusion, and a story that couldn’t decide whether to pay tribute to the past or fully reinvent it. In the end, Snow White got caught in the middle—and lost its magic.

Zegler’s Next Chapter and Disney’s Live-Action Crossroads

So where does Rachel Zegler go from here? At just 23, she’s already a Golden Globe winner thanks to her breakout role in West Side Story, and her talent—especially as a vocalist—isn’t in question. Her upcoming role in a West End production of Evita offers a chance to return to her theatrical roots and reset the narrative. Despite the online frenzy, Hollywood tends to have a short memory. With industry backing, Zegler is unlikely to face long-term fallout—though studios may be more cautious about casting her in projects already prone to controversy.

For Disney, however, Snow White serves as a costly warning. The studio’s next live-action offerings—Lilo & Stitch in May 2025 and Moana in July 2026—will be watched closely. But the quiet cancellation of the Tangled remake, reportedly linked to Snow White’s failure, suggests internal recalibration is already underway.

Now under the leadership of Daria Cercek, Disney’s live-action division faces a tough challenge: how to modernize beloved classics without alienating fans or sacrificing storytelling. The balance between honoring nostalgia and pushing boundaries has never been trickier—and Snow White may go down as a case study in how not to walk that line.

As for the film itself, its early departure from theaters and the storm that followed mark a definitive end to its troubled journey. Rather than a triumphant revival, Snow White became a cultural flashpoint—one that left audiences divided, Disney embarrassed, and Rachel Zegler caught in the eye of the storm.