Snow White treads lightly with a quieter premiere after facing backlash from fans
Get the Full StoryAs the live-action Snow White edges closer to its premiere, the shadow of controversy still lingers. It s been some time since backlash erupted after the film s teaser was released, and it seems Disney is now opting for a scaled-back debut. Disney is known for its grand red carpet premieres, especially for movies like Snow White which has a budget of a whopping 270 million. But this time, the fanfare will be watered down. According to reports, the Hollywood debut will be a much smaller affair, a surprising move for such a high-profile release. The premiere of Snow White will take place on March 15 at El Capitan Theatre. However, it won t spawn the typical media circus usually reserved for Disney premieres. That s because, according to reports, the event will be covered by only a select group of photographers and crew. Meanwhile, in the U.K., an extravagant premiere has reportedly been scrapped, with smaller press events taking place instead. Many are speculating that the decision to tone down the film s release was because of the back-to-back criticisms the film and its star have received. The backlash began when Rachel Zegler who is of Colombian descent was cast as Snow White, a character described as having skin as white as snow. The controversy deepened when Zegler s woke comments about updating the movie upset fans who were hoping for a live-action adaptation that was faithful to the beloved 1937 original. She described the prince as a stalker and called the situation weird. In a separate interview, she said it s no longer 1937 and that Snow White was 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. Rachel Zegler as Snow White in SNOW WHITE pic.twitter.com AwzeWi60DN DiscussingFilm DiscussingFilm August 10, 2024 Even the original Snow White s director s son weighed on the controversy and said he disagreed with the different concept, adding that Disney was making up new woke things that were disrespectful to his father and Walt Disney. I think Walt and he would be turning in their graves, he added. Politics didn t escape the controversy either. Zegler has been outspoken on social media of her support for Palestine, while her co-star Gal Gadot who portrays the Evil Queen in the movie is Israeli and has expressed support for her native country. The opposing views of the two lead actresses on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict further intensified the film s controversy. While the two stars have since appeared together as presenters at the Academy Awards, the public noticed their dynamic, with a body language expert saying there seemed to be a divide between them. The fairest of them all, Rachel Zegler. #Oscars Photo Credit: Roger Kisby pic.twitter.com TvkTxb2YO7 The Academy TheAcademy March 4, 2025 Amid the speculations about the less grand movie premiere, a source told TheWrap that a smaller event was always what was intended for Snow White. The premiere will be attended by about 1,000 guests, with stars of the movie including Zegler and Gadot expected to attend, as well as other celebrities. With early projections suggesting a box office flop, it s uncertain how much the surrounding controversies will influence moviegoers. The true verdict will come when the film hits theaters on March 21.Share: