The box office woes continued for Disney’s live-action Snow White over the weekend as the film’s theater count dropped to 610 venues.
Starring Rachel Zegler in the title role and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, Snow White, of course, is based on Disney’s 1937 classic animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Long before the film hit 4,200 theaters on March 21, though, Snow White was beset with controversies.
Among them was Zegler’s criticism of key aspects of the animated original and her “Free Palestine” post, as well as Disney’s decision to go with CGI dwarfs after actor Peter Dinklage — who was born with a form of dwarfism — raised concerns about how the diminutive characters would be portrayed.
As if those controversies weren’t harming the film enough, Snow White’s public relations troubles were exacerbated in November when Zegler posted politically divisive messages on social media after the presidential election.
Now, less than four weeks after the $270 million budgeted Snow White made an underwhelming $42.2 million in its opening weekend, the film officially dropped out of the top 10 at the domestic box office on Sunday.
Posting a domestic tally of $100,000 from 610 North American venues on Friday (a theater count down significantly from 1,650 theaters last weekend), the film ended its fifth frame Sunday with an estimated take of $431,000, per The Numbers, to finish at No. 14.
Should the numbers hold, this weekend’s earnings will up Snow White’s to $85.7 million domestically to date. Coupled with the film’s international ticket sales of $109.4 million, Snow White’s estimated worldwide box office stands at $195.1 million before prints and advertising.
What’s Next For ‘Snow White’?
The obvious next step for Snow White will be a run on digital streaming via premium video on demand.
While some studios have as short as an 18-day window from the time their films open in theaters to arriving on PVOD — Lionsgate, for example, rushed Jason Statham’s A Working Man to digital video in less than three weeks — Disney has a strict 60 theatrical to PVOD window. Universal Studios, too, has pushed some titles onto PVOD 18 days after release and some Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures releases — even hit titles — have appeared as soon as a month after opening in theaters.
Snow White, meanwhile, will have to languish in theaters for at least three more weeks before Disney can open up a new revenue stream with digital video purchases and rentals on PVOD.
The cruel irony for Snow White, of course, is that the R-rated A Working Man — a crime thriller with fewer potential customers in theaters with its restricted rating — not only knocked the Disney family film out of the top spot after one week, but the film started enjoying an extra revenue stream a mere 15 days after its opening frame with its swift PVOD debut.
Disney, meanwhile, will be keeping Snow White theaters where as the audience attendance continues to fall you’ll hear more and more insects chirping — and they’re not of the Jiminy Cricket variety.
