• "Snow White" is the latest classic animated Disney film getting the live-action remake treatment.
• While it got positive first reviews, it's been mired in controversies since production began.
• Now the film is underperforming at the box office.

After the success of a slew of live-action remakes, a musical retelling of 1937's "Snow White" may have seemed like a slam dunk for Disney.

Instead, a reboot which The Hollywood Reporter said cost over $270 million, made $88 million globally in its opening weekend.

That's less than the opening weekend box office for "Joker: Folie à Deux," one of the major box office bombs of 2024.

Like the original animated classic, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," the upcoming film is loosely based on the 19th-century German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm.

But a number of key changes have drawn criticism, including casting a mixed-ethnicity actor in the lead role, and adjusting the characters of the seven dwarfs.

Channeling her character's grace and kindness, "Snow White" lead actor Rachel Zegler said in a recent interview that the backlash to the film comes down to the "passion" people have for the original.

"What an honor to be a part of something that people feel so passionately about. We're not always going to agree with everyone who surrounds us, and all we can do is our best," she said in an interview in the March issue of Vogue Mexico via Variety.

After years of backlash, film critics responded positively to "Snow White," when the embargo for first reactions lifted ahead of its release on March 21. Several critics praised the film and Zegler's performance as the titular princess.

However, it was not enough to turn the tide on "Snow White."

Here are the controversies surrounding Disney's "Snow White" live-action remake, explained.

Critics of the 'Snow White' live-action remake say it's too far of a departure from the original

The live-action remake attracted controversy as soon as details about the production emerged.

In 2023, some people were left incensed by photos obtained by the Daily Mail that suggested Disney had "gone woke" and replaced the original fairytale's seven dwarfs with a diverse group of people of different genders, ethnicities, and heights.

For what it's worth, the trailer for the film shows that the seven dwarf characters remain true to the original story, and are being played by actors with the help of CGI.

Peter Dinklage said Disney should cut the Seven Dwarfs from the new movie

In 2022, "Game of Thrones" actor Peter Dinklage criticized Disney for what he perceived as blatant hypocrisy in its attempts to update the problematic children's fairytale for modern audiences.

Referencing the casting of Zegler in the lead role, Dinklage said on the comedian Marc Maron's "WTF" podcast: "It makes no sense to me because you're progressive in one way, and then you're still making that fucking backward story of seven dwarfs living in a cave."

Following Dinklage's comments, a Disney spokesperson said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter that the studio was consulting "with members of the dwarfism community" during the pre-production process for the movie.

The statement added that it was "taking a different approach" to the characters of the seven dwarfs as a means to "avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film."

Rachel Zegler's casting caused controversy

After it was announced that Zegler would be taking on the lead role in the film, some pushed back against her casting, upset that an actor of mixed ethnicity would be stepping into the role of the character who is described as having skin "as white as snow."

Appearing on Variety's Actors on Actors series with Andrew Garfield in January 2022, Zegler, who is of Colombian and Polish descent, spoke about the reaction to her casting, and how she hoped to change perceptions of who can or can't play certain roles.

"Never in a million years did I imagine that this would be a possibility for me. You don't normally see Snow Whites that are of Latin descent. Even though Snow White is really a big deal in Spanish-speaking countries," she said. "At the end of the day, I have a job to do that I'm really excited to do. I get to be a Latina princess."

Zegler also addressed the controversy in an interview with Allure published on March 18, saying: "The reality is, I was given a chance because I could sing."

Zegler caused further controversy with her comments on the original 'Snow White'

Since her casting was announced in June 2021, Zegler has repeatedly stated that she's not a fan of the original 1937 film, considering it outdated.

In a late 2022 interview with Entertainment Weekly, the 23-year-old actor said she'd seen the original animated film only once before and didn't enjoy it.

"I was scared of the original version. I think I watched it once and never picked it up again. I'm being so serious," Zegler said.

In a separate red carpet conversation with Variety, Zegler was asked what she meant when she said she was bringing a modern edge to the character.

"I just mean that it's no longer 1937," Zegler said, adding: "She's not going to be saved by the prince, and she's not going to be dreaming about true love — she's dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be and the leader that her late father told her that she could be if she was fearless, fair, brave, and true."

Elsewhere, Zegler described the prince in the original film as a stalker and emphasized that a love story wasn't central to the new film.

"There's a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her," Zegler told Extra TV. "Weird! Weird! So we didn't do that this time."

"We have a different approach to what I'm sure a lot of people will assume is a love story just because we cast a guy in the movie," she added, before joking that Andrew Burnap, who plays the prince, might be cut from the film altogether.

In her Allure interview, Zegler added that she was "proud to be representative of this particular story where [Snow White] falls in love with such a sweet character."

Stars Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot have differing views on Israel and Palestine

Global politics also has had a part to play in the film's controversy, with the two lead actors expressing conflicting views over the ongoing conflict in Gaza and Israel.

Zegler has been vocal about her support of a free Palestine on social media. Meanwhile, Gadot, who is Israeli and who spent two years serving in the Israel Defense Forces, has been outspoken about her support for the country since the October 7 Hamas attack.

Gadot skipped the European premiere of "Snow White" on March 12 in Spain, which Zegler attended.

Representatives for Zegler and Gadot did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

The stars did not do interviews at the US premiere

After a European premiere on March 12, Disney held a scaled-back premiere in LA for "Snow White" on March 15. While photographers and fans were invited, reporters were not allowed to interview stars and guests on the red carpet like they typically would at a premiere.

Variety reported after the premiere that Jodi Benson, who voiced Ariel in the original "The Little Mermaid" movie, was the only person to interview the cast on behalf of Disney at the event.

The Guardian reported on March 15, without citing a source, that the film wouldn't have a UK premiere, despite these being standard for big-budget films.

Fans defended Zegler following a Variety report on why 'Snow White' has so far failed at the box office

On Tuesday, Variety published an article, citing anonymous sources, about possible reasons "Snow White" did not perform better at the box office. Variety's article focuses on Zegler's controversial comments on social media and in interviews.

Some fans, journalists, and critics defended Zegler and criticized Variety on X, accusing the publication of blaming her for the movie's failure.

"not to be this person but there was a way to report on all the drama surrounding Rachel Zegler and Snow White (which is legitimate journalism!) without being incredibly biased and turning it into a hit piece on a principled outspoken 24 year old girl...," Chris Murphy, a staff writer for Vanity Fair, wrote on X.

Other fans said that the quality of the film or what they saw as Gadot's poor acting should be blamed for the movie's failure.

Representatives for Disney and Variety did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

• Remaking movies has been a popular strategy for Hollywood executives.
• "Nosferatu" has received positive reviews ahead of its December 25 international release.
• But Rupert Sanders' "The Crow" didn't need a resurrection.

Hollywood loves a reboot.

In January, "Mean Girls" completed its 20-year journey from film to Broadway musical to musical movie; in May, Chris Pratt revived "Garfield"; and in December, Robert Eggers' "Nosferatu" will enter theaters again more than one hundred years after its silent film debut in 1922.

It's clear the industry has no intention of retiring old IP … and why should it?

"Mean Girls" and "The Garfield Movie" grossed upward of $100 million and $200 million, respectively, according to Box Office Mojo, suggesting that audiences are willing to buy the nostalgia they're being sold, even if they're not asking for it.

Before 2025 brings even more Disney live-action remakes — this time in the form "Snow White" and "Lilo & Stitch" — more "Jurassic World" action, and yet another "Superman," here's a look back at the best and worst movie remakes of the year, according to critics.

Rotten Tomatoes and Box Office Mojo data were accurate as of December 16.

WORST: 4. "Road House"

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 60%

Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Elwood Dalton, a former UFC fighter who's been recruited to be bouncer at a bar in the Florida Keys, in this remake of Patrick Swayze's 1989 action adventure.

Critics' reactions to the film were mixed. The Washington Post's Ann Hornaday wrote, "Remaking 'Road House' is a supremely dumb idea, so it's fitting that it has morphed into a self-consciously dumb movie," while Time Out's Phil de Semlyen gave the film a three out of five star rating, writing, "The combination of Gyllenhaal's easy charm, some Florida sunshine and at least one fight scene for the ages make this 'Road House' worth stopping by. Just try to grab a seat in a quiet corner."

3. "Lisa Frankenstein"

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 52%

Written by Diablo Cody ("Jennifer's Body," "Juno," "Tully") and directed by Zelda Williams (daughter of the late Robin Williams), this new interpretation of "Frankenstein" brings audiences back to the 1980s as teenager Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton) develops a relationship with a revived corpse (Cole Sprouse) and causes mayhem in her town.

"'Lisa Frankenstein' tries to thread a delicate needle, stitching together a mix of horror, comedy, romance, and teen angst, all while adopting a decidedly off-kilter tone," Brian Lowry wrote for CNN. "The result is an interesting misfire, yielding a few amusing moments while adding up to considerably less than the sum of its parts."

Meanwhile, The Wrap's Lex Briscuso found that the genrebending film "makes for a ridiculously brilliant spin on a timeless story over 200 years old."

2. "The Garfield Movie"

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 37%

In the newest "Garfield" movie — it's a reboot of the Garfield franchise, which began in 2004 with "Garfield: The Movie" — the lovably lazy tabby cat (voiced by Chris Pratt) meets his long-lost father and goes on a high-stakes adventure to steal … milk.

Mark Kennedy wrote for the Associated Press that the film is "a curious new animated attempt to monetize the comic icon again by giving him an origin story and then asking him to do things a galaxy away from what he does in the funny pages. It's like if Snoopy ran an underground bare-knuckle fight club."

Yet, it was a box-office success, grossing $234.5 million at the global box office.

1. "The Crow"

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 22%

Critics' worst-rated remake of the year was Rupert Sanders' "The Crow," a remake of the 1994 film with the same title. Starring Bill Skarsgård and FKA Twigs as murdered lovers Eric Draven and Shelly Webster, the film follows Draven's resurrection from the afterlife to avenge their deaths and save Webster.

"'The Crow' is not a waste of talent or resources; worse, it just hangs there on the screen, as undead as Eric himself," Ryan Lattanzio wrote for IndieWire.

BEST: 4. "Mean Girls"

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 69%

Looks like Tina Fey is still trying to make fetch happen, and with some success, too. Rather than a direct remake of the 2004 classic, 2024's "Mean Girls" is actually a film version of the adapted Broadway musical, complete with songs like "Meet The Plastics," led by Renée Rapp as Regina George, and "Stupid With Love," led by Angourie Rice as Cady Heron.

"It turns out that 'Mean Girls: The Musical: The Movie' is pretty good, and likely to succeed at its primary purpose, which is to remind you that the original 'Mean Girls' is fun. The movie gets by via a relentlessly self-deprecating awareness of the absurdity of its own existence," Jackson McHenry wrote for Vulture.

He added, "Mean girls are everywhere, even among the mathletes. And so long as they flourish, we'll keep returning to 'Mean Girls.'"

3. "The Fall Guy"

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%

Loosely based on the 1980s TV show "The Fall Guy," 2024's film stars Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt as stuntman Colt Seavers and director Jody Moreno. When the star of Moreno's directorial debut goes missing, it's up to Seavers — her former flame — to save the show.

Maureen Lee Lenker wrote for Entertainment Weekly that the movie is "a joy-ride of a summer blockbuster that packs all the right punches from its action sequences to its chemistry-laden central romance to its meta love for the movies and the unsung heroes who make them feel real."

"Every frame is a testament to [director David Leitch's] love for movies — and a reminder of why we should love them (and the people who make them), too," she added.

2. "Speak No Evil"

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%

As a remake of the same-titled Danish film from 2022, director James Watkins follows an American family (Scoot McNairy, Mackenzie Davis, Alix West Lefler) traveling to the English countryside to stay with a family they met while on vacation in Italy (James McAvoy, Aisling Franciosi, Dan Hough). But their weekend getaway quickly turns into something far more sinister.

"Watkins has rewired the film's dynamics, switching our focus from the beset husband to Davis's uptight wife. He's made his remake more Hollywood, but, for my money, he's also made it more fun to talk about afterward — and during — arranging his plot beats to encourage the audience to howl advice at the screen," Amy Nicholson wrote for The Washington Post.

1. "Nosferatu"

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

Director Robert Eggers' "Nosferatu" is the highest-rated remake of the year. Starring Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Bill Skarsgård, Emma Corrin, Willem Dafoe, and more, this remake of 1922's iconic silent film, "Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror" — and its 1979 and 1992 successors "Nosferatu the Vampyre" and "Bram Stoker's Dracula" — follows Depp as Ellen Hutter, a young woman haunted by disturbing visions and the subject of a vampire's obsession. Though the film is set for international release on December 25, it's already garnered more than 90 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

"Exciting, repulsive, and beautiful in equal measure, this feels like something the writer-director has been working toward since his unsettling 2016 debut feature, 'The Witch,'" David Rooney wrote for The Hollywood Reporter.

"It's thrilling to experience a movie so assured in the way it builds and sustains fear, so hypnotically scary as it grabs you by the throat and never lets go," he added.