Summary
Disney’sSnow Whiteis having more than just a bad week at the box office. The production of the $250 million live-action adaptation is also at odds with the environmentalist policies of the titular character.
Snow White is one of the most popularDisneyprincesses after the success of the 1937 animation,Snow White— which made $418 million through several releases — itself based on a German fairytale. But the Disney live-action adaptation has drawn more haters than fans; it’s safe to say that it’s the most disliked of such in recent times with its commercial outlook. The film’s downfall began when Rachel Zegler’s remarks during a press tour sparked controversy online. Her vision of reimagining the Disney princess as an independent heroine without the need for Prince Charming clashed with the sentiments of fans who cherished the original story. Disney’s controversial choice to replace the iconic dwarfs with CGI versions rather than casting live actors didn’t help matters either. The result isSnow Whiteposting extremely poor opening weekend numbers.
Figures of Snow White’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Are Disturbing
It’s More Than Some Airports' Annual Totals
There’s more bad news forSnow Whiteand its promoters. Despite sporting nature-centric marketing, the movie’s production was anything but nature-friendly. As revealed byThe Guardian— upon analyzing over 250 sets of filings from the Walt Disney Company —Snow White’s creation directly produced greenhouse gas emissions in the United Kingdom.The movie was filmed at the U.K.’s Pinewood Studios on an expansive set and the sum of its fuel generator, main power, and flight emissions amount to 3,153 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) in the Scope One category. Not only does this figure exceed the threshold of 2,600 tCO2e that The Guardian cites as typical for blockbuster productions by a staggering 62%, but it also surpassesFast X’s U.K. filming, a movie notorious for its fuel-hungry engines.
It gets worse. For reference, when conjoined with2023’sThe Little Mermaid(5,127 tonnes),Snow Whitegenerated more equivalent (tCO2e) than the annual totals of Birmingham and Luton airports (7,829 and 6,243 tonnes respectively), Blackpool Pleasure Beach and O2 Arena. Both movies created more pollution than any UK-made Disney flick since 2019.
Snow White has been a battered film on all fronts
For a movie analysts predict will struggle to cross $100 million in the North American market, nothing spells bad press forSnow Whitemore than alienating environmentally conscious viewers; they’re a demographic increasingly vocal and influential in today’s media landscape. Disney is still reeling from the estimated $115 million loss it would have to incur and the shame from the movie’s measly $86 million opening ($42.2 million domestic and $44 million overseas).Snow Whitemay be inching closer to $180 million globally with its current $170 million cume, butthe loud arrival ofA Minecraft Movieat the box officehas all but killed all hope of a $200 million finish. By comparison, the originalSnow Whiteanimation was released 88 years ago and made $184 million or $187 million, depending on which numbers are chosen —Box Office Mojo’s orThe Numbers’
Amidst all the doom and gloom, there’s still a piece of “good” news for Disney and its ambitions of adapting all or most of its classic animations to live action.Snow Whiteis now among the top 40 movie musicals of all time at the domestic box office.
