In a surprising twist at the 2025 box office, Paramount Animation’s The Smurfs Movie, released on February 14, 2025, has eclipsed Disney’s live-action Snow White, starring Rachel Zegler, in both buzz and earnings. The family-friendly musical, featuring Rihanna as Smurfette and a star-studded voice cast, grossed $37.2 million domestically and $76.4 million globally in its opening weekend, securing the No. 1 spot. Meanwhile, Snow White, which premiered on March 21, 2025, stumbled with a $43 million domestic and $87.3 million global opening, ultimately grossing $205.6 million worldwide against a $270 million budget—a financial disaster. Reports suggest Zegler, 23, is livid that the lighthearted Smurfs has stolen the spotlight from her passion project, with sources claiming her frustration stems from the intense scrutiny and controversies that plagued Snow White. While Zegler hasn’t publicly commented on Smurfs, her outspoken history and the film’s underperformance have fueled speculation about her reaction. As Smurfs soars and Snow White falters, this clash highlights Disney’s struggles with live-action remakes and Zegler’s tumultuous journey in the spotlight.
Smurfs Steals the Show
The Smurfs Movie, directed by Chris Miller and co-directed by Matt Landon, arrived as a vibrant, music-driven reboot of the beloved franchise. Featuring Rihanna as Smurfette, with voice performances by Nick Kroll, Amy Sedaris, Billie Eilish, and others, the film leaned into nostalgia with a modern twist, including original songs and a kid-friendly plot about a magical forest adventure. Its Valentine’s Day 2025 release capitalized on family audiences, earning $37.2 million domestically over the three-day weekend and $76.4 million globally, per Box Office Mojo. The film’s 80% Rotten Tomatoes score from 60 reviews, bolstered by praise for its “charming, colorful animation” (Variety), and an A CinemaScore, cemented its appeal. Social media buzz, amplified by Rihanna’s promotional posts and a star-studded Los Angeles premiere attended by her sons, RZA and Riot, drove ticket sales, with X users like @SmurfFanatic posting, “Smurfs is the family hit we needed! Outdoing Snow White already.”
The film’s success wasn’t just about numbers. Its accessibility, vibrant visuals, and Rihanna’s star power resonated with audiences, particularly in international markets like the UK, Australia, and Mexico, where it outperformed expectations. The Hollywood Reporter noted that Smurfs benefited from a lean $90 million budget, making its path to profitability clear. The film’s release timing, avoiding direct competition with Moana 2 or Mufasa: The Lion King, allowed it to dominate the family demographic, a space where Snow White struggled to connect.
Snow White’s Disappointing Run
Disney’s Snow White, directed by Marc Webb and starring Zegler as the titular princess and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, was poised to be a cornerstone of the studio’s live-action remake strategy. With a $270 million production budget (excluding marketing), the film aimed to modernize the 1937 classic with new songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and a focus on Snow White’s leadership over romance. However, its March 21, 2025, release yielded a lackluster $43 million domestic opening and $87.3 million globally, eventually limping to $205.6 million worldwide, per Forbes. The film’s 40% Rotten Tomatoes score from 120 reviews, coupled with a 1.8/10 IMDb rating from review-bombing, reflected critical and audience discontent. Vanity Fair called it a “$350 million flop” when marketing costs were factored in, estimating a $115 million loss for Disney.
Zegler’s performance, while praised as “a shining supernova” by People, couldn’t salvage the film’s reception. Critics noted choppy editing, overreliance on subpar CGI, and unmemorable songs, with OutKick describing it as “fake from start to finish.” The film’s narrative changes—replacing the prince with a thief named Jonathan (Andrew Burnap) and emphasizing Snow White’s rebellion—alienated purists, while its high budget raised the stakes for success. Newsweek highlighted five major changes, including Snow White’s name tied to a blizzard rather than her complexion, which sparked debates about fidelity to the source material.
Zegler’s Controversies and Alleged Frustration
Zegler’s journey with Snow White was fraught with controversy from the start. Her 2022 comments calling the 1937 film “dated” and the prince a “stalker” drew ire from fans, who saw it as disrespectful to Disney’s legacy. Variety reported that her remarks, like “it’s no longer 1937” and “she’s not going to be saved by the prince,” fueled backlash, with clips going viral on TikTok and X. Her casting as a Latina actress in a role traditionally depicted as “white as snow” sparked racist harassment, with Zegler recounting to Marca that detractors showed up outside her apartment, hurling insults.
Her political activism further complicated matters. In August 2024, Zegler posted “and always remember, free Palestine” alongside Snow White trailer praise, prompting Disney producer Marc Platt to fly to New York to address her social media conduct. Variety detailed how this, coupled with her post-election Instagram rant—“F**k Donald Trump” and “May Trump supporters never know peace”—led Disney to hire a social media guru to vet her posts. Jonah Platt, Marc’s son, publicly criticized Zegler, calling her actions “immature” and claiming they “clearly hurt the film’s box office.” Sources close to Zegler, per Daily Mail, suggest she’s furious that Smurfs—a “low-stakes cartoon” with less cultural weight—has outperformed her film, with one insider claiming, “Rachel feels the Snow White narrative was unfairly derailed by controversy, while Smurfs coasted on easy nostalgia.”
Disney’s Struggles vs. Smurfs’ Triumph
The Smurfs success underscores Disney’s challenges with live-action remakes. While The Little Mermaid (2023) and Aladdin (2019) found audiences, Snow White joins Pinocchio (2022) and Peter Pan & Wendy (2023) as costly misfires. The New Yorker argued that Snow White’s failure reflects “structural and multifaceted” issues, including a lack of fresh ideas and poor judgment about which classics to revive. Disney’s scaled-down premiere for Snow White, compared to Moana 2’s lavish event, signaled internal doubts, with People noting it was “standard practice” but citing sources who blamed Zegler’s controversies.
In contrast, Smurfs benefited from a clear strategy: a modest budget, universal appeal, and a controversy-free rollout. Rihanna’s involvement, including her performance of new songs, drew families, while the film’s avoidance of polarizing changes preserved its nostalgic charm. The Hollywood Reporter noted that Smurfs’s global success, particularly in family-driven markets, highlights the demand for uncomplicated entertainment. X posts, like @MovieBuff22’s “Smurfs is killing it while Snow White tanks—Rihanna > Zegler,” reflect the public’s preference for Smurfs’s accessibility over Snow White’s divisive modernization.
Zegler’s Response and Resilience
Zegler hasn’t directly addressed Smurfs’ success, but her response to Snow White’s backlash offers insight into her mindset. In a June 2025 interview with i-D, she revealed seeking therapy and anxiety medication to cope with the “not normal” scrutiny, emphasizing, “I choose positivity and light.” She defended her activism, telling Vogue Mexico, “I interpret people’s feelings about this film as their passion,” and framed her casting as a win for representation. Despite the flop, Snow White found a second life on Disney+, topping charts in 48 countries by June 13, 2025, per FlixPatrol, suggesting Zegler’s performance resonated with some audiences.
Her next move—a West End production of Evita—signals a pivot to her musical roots, distancing herself from Hollywood’s toxicity. Vanity Fair noted that while Disney insiders scapegoated Zegler, her supporters, like critic David Ehrlich on X, praised her resilience: “Rachel Zegler RULES and has a lifetime of incredible roles ahead.” Her Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes success and Broadway’s Romeo + Juliet recouping its $7 million budget show her star power endures.
The Bigger Picture
The Smurfs vs. Snow White narrative reflects broader industry trends. Disney’s push for “woke” updates, as Daily Mail called it, has alienated some fans, with Snow White’s changes—like removing “Someday My Prince Will Come”—seen as betraying nostalgia. Smurfs, by contrast, leaned into its legacy, with minimal changes to its core appeal. The backlash against Zegler, from racist attacks to criticism over her politics, mirrors controversies around Halle Bailey’s Little Mermaid casting, highlighting Hollywood’s struggle with diverse representation.
Box office analyst Jeff Bock told Variety, “Too much negative controversy surrounded this film for years, and it didn’t help that the reviews were subpar.” Smurfs avoided such pitfalls, with its 80% Rotten Tomatoes score and family-friendly tone steering clear of culture wars. The film’s success, coupled with Snow White’s streaming rebound, suggests audiences crave both nostalgia and accessibility, but Zegler’s outspokenness made her a lightning rod for criticism, amplifying Snow White’s failure.
Conclusion
Rachel Zegler’s reported fury over The Smurfs Movie outshining Snow White encapsulates a dramatic clash of Hollywood narratives. Smurfs’ $76.4 million global opening and 80% Rotten Tomatoes score reflect its universal appeal, while Snow White’s $205.6 million gross against a $270 million budget marks a historic flop, compounded by Zegler’s controversies. Her comments on the original film, casting backlash, and political posts—especially “free Palestine” and anti-Trump rants—fueled a toxic debate that overshadowed the film’s merits. While Smurfs sailed on Rihanna’s star power and nostalgia, Snow White drowned in structural issues and cultural divides. Zegler, undeterred, is pivoting to new projects, proving her resilience. As Smurfs basks in its smurf-tastic success, Snow White’s stumble underscores Disney’s need to rethink its remake strategy, leaving Zegler to navigate the fallout with grace.
