In recent years, it seems that most Disney films are either live-action remakes or sequels. And while Disney has found huge success with some of the films, like Inside Out 2 (2024) and Lilo & Stitch (2025), others like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023), have absolutely tanked.
And this year, there was the live-action Snow White, starring Rachel Zegler as the titular princess and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen. This film was, without a doubt, one of Disney’s most controversial live-action remakes in years.
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From the jump, Snow White was plagued with issues and controversy. It began as racist trolling against Rachel Zegler, who is part Polish and part Colombian. She was criticized for not being white enough to play Walt Disney’s original princess.
Things only got worse from there. Zegler frequently criticized the original story, saying that her version of Snow White would be more proactive and would not let things just happen to her. She also said that her Snow White would be so independent that the prince might not even be necessary, going so far as to refer to him as a “stalker.”
This led many to wonder why Zegler even wanted to play Snow White if she had such a problem with the story.
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Snow White absolutely tanked at the box office, and rumors of a feud between Zegler and Gadot dominated the headlines. Zegler, at one point, had shared a message on X (formerly Twitter) thanking fans for supporting the film. At the end of her message, she said “free Palestine,” referencing the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian people.
This message allegedly sparked a war between the two women. Gadot is Israeli, and even served in the Israeli Defense Forces from 2004 to 2009.
Neither woman spoke about the reported feud.
Related: ‘She’s Missing the Point,’ Fans Drag Rachel Zegler for Her Latest ‘Snow White’ Comments
However, Gal Gadot isn’t blaming Rachel Zegler, the controversy surrounding the seven dwarfs, or her alleged feud for the film’s failure. Instead, she is blaming the “pressure” put on her to speak out against Israel.
In a new interview, Gadot said that people’s opinions of world events impacted how they felt about the movie. And, although she loved the film, there was nothing they could do about outside factors.
“What’s happening in all kinds of industries and also in Hollywood, is that there’s a lot of pressure on celebrities to bring up things against Israel.”
“You can always explain and try to give people in the world a context about what’s happening [in Israel] and what the reality is here, but in the end people decide for themselves. I was disappointed that the movie was greatly affected by that and didn’t do well at the box office.”
Gal Gadot gave a big interview tonite on Israeli TV, on the pressure in Hollywood to speak out against Israel pic.twitter.com/fBNuLAmeFt
— Betar Worldwide (@Betar_USA) August 16, 2025
Gadot believes that, had the events between Israel and Palestine never happened, the movie would have been a huge hit. Snow White only received a 38% critics score and a 70% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Experts estimate that Disney lost nearly $115 million on the project.
Other reports indicate that, because of Snow White’s failure, Disney paused its plans for a live-action Tangled (2010) remake.
Snow White is currently streaming on Disney+.
Why do you think Snow White flopped at the box office? Was it largely due to the things Rachel Zegler said and did? Or was the story just too weak? Do you agree with Gal Gadot? Would the film have seen more success if the events of October 7 had never happened? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!