Viral video shows Rachel Zegler watching her movie Snow White in a nearly empty theater

In a recent viral post, Rachel Zegler is seen at a Snow White screening in a "nearly empty theater". Here's the clip:

The video, posted in an Instagram story, shows her having a laugh, seeing her name on the screen while the person next to her cheers. The text on the video reads,

"Cried the whole time! You are a literal magical princess! I love you so much, my angel"

The video is shared by a conservative social media account. Their post conveys a general sentiment related to Disney's latest tentpole. Based on the 1937 animated film, Snow White went through some key narrative changes. The makers tweaked some parts of the fairy tale in the context of the contemporary world. However, a section of the audience was not in favor of these modifications, which impacted the film-related discussions.

Snow White's failure is reportedly being attributed to the West Side Story star by a number of online media users. However, recent reports from The Hollywood Reporter and Business Insider suggest that its failure is not as connected to the "anti-woke" backlash it received as one is led to believe.

---

Snow White: What went wrong with Disney's live-action remake and why is it a "flop"?

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney decided to work on a Snow White live-action remake in 2021. It was after the success of other princess stories like Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. However, it became a much costlier affair due to reasons like labor strikes and COVID protocols. So, its production budget reportedly went from $200 - $210 million to $270 million. With additional marketing costs, it has more costs to recover than its predecessors, which can potentially turn it into a "flop" movie.

Snow White still earned higher at the domestic box office on its opening weekend than Mufasa: The Lion King, which became successful in the later weeks. It may not be the case with the Rachel Zegler starrer, which has also received less-than-favorable reviews from critics. While the creative changes have affected word of mouth, it is not directly related to its "wokeness" according to FranchiseRe's David A. Gross. He told Business Insider,

"I don't think everybody just said, 'It's woke, let's not go.' I just think it is a little bit confusing; it's cross-signals. I think a lot of it goes back to the film — the reviews are not good. The movie isn't completely satisfying to the audiences who are attending."

EnTelligence founder Steve Buck surveyed the ticked sales in red and blue US states and told THR,

“In spite of prerelease concerns of a boycott in red-leaning districts, there is no evidence to support that occurred."