Box Office: Snow White opens soft in China, registers one of the weakest Hollywood debuts post-COVID

Snow White opens at No. 5 in China with a weak USD 255K start, ranking among the lowest Hollywood debuts post-COVID. Low Saturday pre-sales signal a challenging road ahead.

Written by Seema Sinha , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Mar 22, 2025 | 01:01 PM IST | 5.4K

Picture Courtesy: Disney

Snow White debuted to a silent response in China, earning a fifth-place finish at the box office, which is almost always heavily ruled by homegrown content. The Disney tentpole opened with a USD 255K gross on Friday despite playing on over 34,000 screens. Comparatively, The Little Mermaid and Wicked had 26,000 screens, and they managed to gross USD 540K and USD 361K, respectively.

Scores from ticket buyers on Maoyan and Douban are still under wraps, but it is evident that the future of the Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot starrer is not very bright in the region. The film has USD 110K in pre-sales for today when it will play on 30,000 screens—4,000 fewer than yesterday.

Snow White will aim for a USD 900K to USD 1.2M opening weekend. If realized, it will be one of the lowest post-COVID debuts for a Hollywood release in China.

Meanwhile, the response from European markets hasn’t been enthusiastic either, with the film performing poorly in France and Italy, where it opened on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, before its North American debut. In Japan, the reception was equally tepid, with the film ranking below holdover releases Wicked and Doraemon.

Snow White is a costly affair, with Disney shelling out USD 250 million to make it. If the film tanks, it will be unfavorable for the Mouse House.

For those unversed, the film is a live-action remake of Disney’s iconic 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay by Erin Cressida Wilson, Snow White also stars Andrew Burnap, who plays the titular princess’ love interest.

Filming took place primarily in London between March and July 2022, with additional tapings and pickups in June 2024 after a production delay caused by the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.

The film elicited controversies leading up to its release, with criticism levied against the color-blind casting and creative changes. Fans weren’t in favor of a Latina being cast as Disney’s fairest princess, and when they learned the iconic seven dwarfs would be reimagined in this outing, everything went south.

Nevertheless, Snow White managed to do some damage control by hosting a press-free premiere for movie pundits in Los Angeles on March 15, garnering positive reviews.

Are you watching Snow White in cinemas this weekend? Do let us know!