Rachel Zegler in “Snow White.”
Snow White — Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot’s embattled Disney adaptation of the studio’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs — is looking at a 53% drop or more in box office business from its opening weekend.
Already suffering from damaging pre-release publicity including furor over Zegler’s negative comments about the original animated classics and politically divisive social media posts, Disney’s opening domestic gross of $42.2 million for Snow White fell far short of early pre-release projections.
Adding insult to box office injury is Snow White’s reported $250 million to $270 million production budget, a staggering amount before the film’s market costs. If Disney was planning on chipping away at the massive amount it took to make the live-action Snow White, it apparently isn’t going to get much help from moviegoers this weekend.
Heading into the weekend, Snow White is projected to drop 53% business in its second Friday to Sunday frame from its opening weekend, which equates to a take of roughly $20 million, Deadline reported.
Some other outlets are casting a wider net for Snow White in weekend No. 2 like Box Office Pro, which estimates the film could earn anywhere between $17 million and $25 million from Friday to Sunday.
While the $25 million figure seems optimistic, the knife cuts both ways for Snow White since Box Office Pro is suggesting it could bring in $3 million less in its second weekend than Deadline is projecting.
Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega in “Death of a Unicorn.”
‘Snow White’ Is Expected To Defeat Five New Films Debuting This Weekend
While Snow White is facing another disappointing week at the box office, the film is at least expected to hold on to the No. 1 spot at the box over five newcomers including the Jason Statham action movie A Working Man and Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd’s horror comedy Death of a Unicorn.
Amazon/MGM Studios’ A Working Man is targeting a $10 million to $12 million opening from 3,262 venues domestically, while A24’s Death of a Unicorn is looking at an opening in the $5 million to $7 million range in 3,050 theaters, Deadline projects.
Like its projections for Snow White, Box Office Pro is forecasting a better opening for A Working Man and Death of a Unicorn, noting that both films could open in the $10 million to $15 million range.
Also opening in theaters this weekend is Universal Pictures horror thriller The Woman in the Yard, as well as Fathom Event’s faith-based release The Chosen: The Last Supper and Sony Pictures Classics comedy drama The Penguin Lessons.
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