Box Office Update: ‘Snow White’ Tops Charts with $43 Million Weekend, While Robert De Niro’s ‘Alto Knights’ Stumbles with Just $3 Million Opening

"Snow White" has hit theaters, but its launch is a bit underwhelming. The film made $43 million in the U.S. and $44.3 million internationally, totaling $87.3 million globally. Disney had hoped for better, estimating a $100 million opening.

This live-action remake has faced its share of criticism. Some viewers are not happy with how the seven dwarves were portrayed. There were also complaints about changes to the iconic story and public calls for boycotts, partly due to comments made by co-stars Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict. There were even costly reshoots that increased the film’s budget, leading Disney to tone down the premiere celebrations.

Many analysts believe that the film’s controversies didn’t influence ticket sales much. According to Paul Dergarabedian from Comscore, families may have simply wanted a family-friendly film, unaware of the surrounding debates.

Interestingly, "Snow White" had the lowest domestic opening for Disney’s live-action adaptations, falling short even of 2019’s "Dumbo," which debuted at $45 million. Previous remakes like "Aladdin" and "The Lion King" had strong openings, often exceeding $100 million and generating over $1 billion in total box office sales.

So, what does this mean for "Snow White"? Its future earnings will depend on its longevity in theaters. If it follows the trend of "Dumbo," which made a lackluster $353 million worldwide, it might indicate that audiences are getting tired of Disney’s remakes. In contrast, films like "The Little Mermaid" struggled this year, earning only $569 million.

Disney is looking to improve "Snow White’s" prospects. If it can perform like "Mufasa," which opened at $35 million but eventually made $716 million worldwide, there’s hope yet. Observers note that strong brand recognition and a lack of competing family films could help its success. The film received good audience scores, especially from women, who made up about 70% of opening weekend viewers.

David A. Gross from FranchiseRe points out that despite a slow start, Disney knows how to support their films, meaning it could gain momentum. Plus, the film’s merchandise is expected to be a lucrative stream for Disney, along with the possibility of future theme park adaptations.

While "Snow White" may have faced challenges, the box office isn’t the only story being told this weekend. Robert De Niro’s film "The Alto Knights" debuted poorly, earning just $3.2 million and landing sixth at the box office. It received a mediocre response, with a "B" grade from CinemaScore and a disappointing 39% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Then there’s "Magazine Dreams," featuring Jonathan Majors, which also struggled, raking in only $700,000 from 800 theaters. Despite early buzz from Sundance, the film’s promotion was affected by Majors’ off-screen issues, making it challenging to pull in audiences.

On a brighter note, Steven Soderbergh’s thriller "Black Bag" had a stronger second weekend, grossing $4.4 million and rising to second place in its second weekend of release, bringing its total to $14.9 million. Focus Features is hopeful that good reviews will boost its popularity.

Disney’s "Captain America: Brave New World" continues to perform reasonably well, bringing in $4.3 million, with a total of $192 million in the U.S. So far this year, Hollywood has seen lower box office revenues, trailing behind previous years, which has many hoping upcoming releases, like the "Minecraft Movie" and Marvel’s "Thunderbolts," will breathe some life into theaters.

Overall, while "Snow White" provided a much-needed boost, the box office situation still looks tough, with revenues down nearly 7% compared to last year and 39% from 2019.

For further insights on the box office situation and industry trends, you can refer to Comscore’s analysis.

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