'Snow White' box office plummets, suffers 66% drop in second weekend
Earning just over $200 million worldwide, 'Snow White' could cost Disney millions
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Following an already lukewarm opening, "Snow White" has plummeted in the box office after a little over a week in theaters.
The controversy-laden film, starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, dropped out of the No. 1 spot in its second weekend after earning just $14.2 million domestically, according to Variety — a 66% decline from its opening weekend.
"A Working Man," starring actor Jason Statham, nabbed the top domestic box office spot, earning $15.2 million in the United States.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}AS 'SNOW WHITE' STRUGGLES, HERE ARE FIVE MORE DISNEY CONTROVERSIES THAT ROCKED THE COMPANY
"Snow White" suffered a 66% drop at the box office in its second weekend. (VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)
Public relations crisis expert Sarah Schmidt says that the movie's dwindling viewership is not the result of "wokeness," but rather Disney's inability to "respect the weight of the crown."
"They cast a rising star, radically reworked an American classic, and then went silent while the internet lit the match. Instead of arming Rachel Zegler with a clear message or standing beside her when her comments went viral, they disappeared," Schmidt, president of Interdependence Public Relations, told Fox News Digital.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"They skipped the fanbase, skipped the charm, and skipped the chance to explain the magic. This wasn't a cultural war casualty—it was a failure to lead the conversation. If Disney wants to regain trust, they need to stop playing defense and start storytelling again — in their films and in their PR," Schmidt added.
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"Snow White" star Rachel Zegler at the Hollywood premiere of the new film. (Rodin Eckenroth / Stringer)
"Snow White" has earned $66.8 million domestically and $143.1 million internationally, Variety also reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The new Disney live-action remake has a budget of approximately $250 million — making it one of the company's most expensive film productions in the last several years.
"Snow White" opened in the U.S. and Canada to $43 million in ticket sales, still coming in first place at the domestic box office, according to studio estimates, the Los Angeles Times reported. It cost an estimated $250 million to make, before marketing costs. The movie grossed $44 million overseas for a total global debut of $87 million.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Disney's "Snow White" reboot has received middling to poor reviews on top of having a slow start at the box office. (Fox News)
The opening weekend was a disappointment as it was projected as recently as last month to make upwards of $85 million in its opening weekend, but estimates slid downward.
By way of comparison to other recent live-action Disney adaptations, "The Lion King" in 2019 made $191 million in its opening weekend domestically, and "Beauty and the Beast" in 2017 earned $174 million in its first weekend in the theaters, Forbes reported.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Disney for comment about the box office scores.
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Fox News Digital's Cortney OBrien contributed to this report.