In a rough start to the pre-summer theatrical season, Walt
Disney’s highly anticipated live-action remake of "Snow White" underdelivered -- pulling in $43 million domestically and $87.3 million worldwide on its opening weekend, according to
Comscore.
Industry estimates were expecting it to exceed $100 million globally. The budget on the film is estimated to be $250 million.
One key marketing indicator shows Disney placed
one of the biggest pre-opening national TV advertising schedules for a wide-release movie so far this year -- with 4,460 airings producing 3.1 billion impressions and $11.8 million in paid and
promotion advertising, according to EDO Ad EnGage.
A major piece of the schedule was put on the Disney Channel with 1,300 airings.
The “Snow White” campaign was exceeded
only by Disney’s “Captain America: Brave New World” (with 4,870 airings, 2.8 billion impressions, and $22.7 million in spend).
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Disney will need to find some staying power, as
it did at Christmas time with “Mufasa: The Lion King” which had a slow start with a $35 million opening., but went on to steadily pass $700 million globally.
“Snow
White” is a rare reinvention of a foundational Disney character and storyline in a live-action movie. The original animated “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" debuted in theaters in
1937.
Although it wasn’t expected to come anywhere near “Snow White,” Warner Bros.' “The Alto Knights” -- another wide release (2,651 locations) starring
Robert DeNiro about two notorious New York City mafia crime bosses, Frank Costello and Vito Genovese -- was only able to muster $3.2 million in its weekend opening.
For 2025 year-to-date
(January 1 through March 23) domestic theatrical box office revenues are down 7% to $1.34 billion, Comscore says.
Though just about three months of 2025, national TV ad spend is down 14% to
$209 million ($242.7 million in 2024) -- with 45,280 airings, and 26.4 billion impressions, says EDO Ad EnGage.