Disney’s ‘Snow White’ Chaos: Death Threats & Increased Security, Social Media Help for Rachel Zegler

On August 12, 2024, three days post her appearance at Disney’s D23 fan convention where she unveiled the first official “Snow White” trailer, Rachel Zegler expressed deep gratitude to her fans on X for helping the teaser gain 120 million views within a day. Shortly thereafter, she appended a controversial remark to the same post, stating: “and always remember, free Palestine.”

This comment, which attracted 8.8 million views, almost quadrupling the viewership of her initial post, quickly spread across various platforms. Many within the studio were taken aback by Zegler’s decision to mix the promotion of their $270 million blockbuster with a political declaration. Disney executives contacted Zegler’s representatives to express their concerns, and the film’s producer, Marc Platt, even traveled to New York to discuss the matter with her in person. Despite the growing tension, which began during a rough “West Side Story” awards season in 2022 and was fueled by her critical remarks about the original “Snow White,” Zegler stood by her post, which remained online. Meanwhile, threats against her co-star, Israeli actress Gal Gadot, intensified, prompting Disney to enhance security measures for the mother of four.

“Her awareness of the impact her statements could have on the film, on Gal Gadot, and others was lacking,” remarked an industry insider.

Months after the presidential election, Zegler’s frustration spilled over on Instagram with posts such as “Fuck Donald Trump” and wishes of unrest for Trump supporters. This was the final straw for Disney, seeing as Zegler was alienating a significant portion of the potential audience for a film already facing costly reshoots. Platt once again approached Zegler, leading to her collaboration with a Disney-funded social media consultant to review her posts prior to the film’s release on March 21. Disney has refrained from commenting on the issue, and Zegler did not respond to requests for comments.

With the film’s disappointing $87 million global debut now behind them, Disney executives are scrutinizing the factors that led to such underperformance. To put the financial disappointment of “Snow White” into context, it earned $34 million less than “Joker: Folie à Deux” in its October release, despite having a $70 million larger budget.

“Claiming that a live-action remake of an iconic film, which cost [$270] million and underwent multiple reshoots, had an acceptable opening of $50 million is inaccurate. This movie had the potential to be a billion-dollar hit,” observed an executive from a competing studio as the film was initially projected to earn between $45 million and $55 million domestically, yet it fell short of even the lowest estimate, earning just $43 million.

The recurring disputes between Disney and Zegler highlight the ongoing struggle of film studios to manage stars who generate controversy through their social media activity. Unlike Zegler, Gadot remained cautious, limiting her social media political comments to expressing support for civilians during the Hamas attack on October 7, and she avoided mixing these sentiments with film promotion. Zegler had previously caused a stir at Amblin Partners and Disney when she publicly complained about not being invited to the 2022 Oscars, despite being the lead in the best picture nominee “West Side Story.” Although she was busy with “Snow White” production in London and Walt Disney Studios’ then-president Sean Bailey did not release her for the Oscars, the Academy eventually provided her a ticket following her public grievances (Bailey left his position by February 2024).

At the D23 event, Zegler criticized the original 1937 “Snow White” by suggesting that the prince “literally stalks” the heroine. According to a top agent, this was a moment when Disney should have intervened immediately to control the narrative: “The first time she shoots her mouth off, you nip it in the bud.” However, Disney remained silent, and purists began to voice their discontent. Over time, Disney grew cautious about commenting on anyone’s speech, especially after being sued in 2024 by actress Gina Carano, who alleged she was dismissed from “The Mandalorian” for expressing controversial opinions.

“All press is good press doesn’t apply to ‘Snow White,’ which was undoubtedly marred by extensive negative controversy for years, and the lackluster reviews didn’t help. This recent live-action attempt likely rates a D+ for many potential viewers,” remarked box office analyst Jeff Bock from Exhibitor Relations. “Its only potential saving grace could be a weak market allowing ‘Snow White’ to linger longer than expected, similar to many family films, despite the weak opening,” he added.

Additional hurdles for the film included a COVID-related production delay, a fire on set, and actors’ strikes that affected some reshoots. In recent years, Disney’s live-action films, which were previously reliable box office successes, have shown signs of faltering, with “Dumbo” and “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” underperforming and “Peter Pan & Wendy” being released directly on Disney+.

Contrary to media reports suggesting friction between the two “Snow White” leads, sources confirm that the actresses maintained a good rapport during filming, with tensions only rising as the film’s release approached. After jointly presenting at the Oscars this month, Zegler referred to Gadot as “a professional pageant queen” in a dismissive Instagram comment.

Observers noted that Disney might have contributed to the perceived rivalry by scheduling the actresses for separate promotional events. At the March 15 premiere, which opted for a photo-only format instead of traditional red-carpet interviews, Zegler and Gadot were mostly kept apart. Inside Los Angeles’ El Capitan Theatre, Zegler was seated two rows ahead of Gadot and her family.

By that stage, Disney had resigned itself to the likelihood that the film couldn’t recover from the long-standing backlash that had been simmering like a storybook potion for years.