Disney’s marketing strategy for the 2025 Snow White remake is reportedly uncharacteristic for the studio. Set for release on March 21, the upcoming remake of the 1937 Disney musical stars Rachel Zegler in the тιтle role opposite Gal Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen, whose jealousy toward Snow White’s beauty pushes her onto a dark path to eliminate her compeтιтion. It was previously reported that Disney had scaled back from the usual over-the-top premiere for a quiet pre-party and screening at the El Capitan Theatre on March 15 and opted out of a Q&A section for the lead stars.

Per The Hollywood Reporter‘s report, a rival studio source notes Disney’s rather quiet marketing strategy to promote the upcoming Snow White remake. The source points out that the relatively short advance ticket sales, which didn’t go into effect until less than two weeks before the movie’s premiere date, hint at Disney’s lack of faith in the remake. Check out what the insider said:

They’ve been going through the motions on Snow White, all but saying, ‘we need to get this thing over with. An advance sales cycle of less than two weeks just screams ‘we have zero faith in this thing.’ And it couldn’t come at a worse point, when the industry is just trying to limp along to May.

However, Disney insiders push back on the claim and state that the holdback on the film’s big promotional push was intentional to coincide with Zegler and Gadot’s Oscars 2025 appearances on March 2.

What This Means For The Snow White Live-Action Remake

Disney Has A Unique Marketing Strategy For The Snow White Remake

From Zegler’s controversial comments on social media to the movie’s creative decisions, the live-action remake has suffered a series of controversies over the years. However, regardless of the behind-the-scenes drama, Snow White‘s opening weekend projection puts the box office earnings between $48 and $58 million, which, despite a slip from the initial projection, would put the movie’s domestic premiere at the second highest-grossing film this year up till this point.

Disney’s previous live-action movie, Mufasa: The Lion King, amᴀssed $35.4 million during the opening weekend but concluded its theatrical run with $700.5 million. With Snow White being released in March instead of the holiday season, the upcoming movie’s projection isn’t as bad as it looks, which suggests that Disney’s marketing strategy has been working fairly well for a film that has been under heat for years. However, the reported budget remains the key concern, which is seemingly between $200 million and $260 million. Regardless of where the actual cost is, that poses a huge challenge for the remake to become a box office success.

Our Take On Disney’s Marketing Strategy For Snow White

Disney’s Marketing Strategy Is Working

At this point, it’s unclear whether Snow White will have the worst domestic debut for a Disney live-action remake since Dumbo‘s $45.9 million opening in 2019 or if it’ll outshine its initial projection. Even though the movie has been under a lot of heat, the Disney remake of one of its most iconic classic fairy tales is still highly anticipated. With original tracks by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and songs from the 1937 classic, the upcoming movie offers a fresh update to the familiar story about friendship, magic, and kindness.

It’s also worth noting that the comments are made by a rival studio source. It’s not surprising that Disney decided to opt for a low-profile marketing strategy in reaction to the heavy controversy that has been keeping the remake at the center of attention while keeping the most exciting aspects of the movie under wraps. However, this is hardly an indication of Disney’s lack of investment in the Snow White remake. As teased in Snow White‘s trailer, there are a lot of surprises that moviegoers will need to find out in theaters.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter