You can’t argue with the results considering that Disney has been, currently is, and will continue to be the most all-powerful brand in popular culture, but you get the sneaking suspicion the company may have shot itself in the foot somewhat after dropping the first image from Snow White and then immediately delaying it for a year.
After all, the latest live-action remake has been coming under sustained fire and heated criticism for a number of reasons that include the unfair abuse being tossed in the direction of star Rachel Zegler and accusations that it’s going “woke,” while the son of the original animation’s director claimed that both his old man and Walt Disney himself would be turning in their graves on account of its mere existence.
Couple that with a reported $200 million budget, the Mouse House’s recent – and highly consistent – woes at the box office, and the increasing belief that the repurposing of its two-dimensional back catalogue is beginning to run out of steam, Snow White was facing an uphill battle already.
While you get the impression the studio unveiled the first-look image as a means to placate the film’s supporters before telling them the wait to see the end product was just extended by 12 months, it would be fair to say the reception to Zegler’s title character and her associates has been… mixed.
Of course, the old “it’ll look better when the CGI is finished” argument will be trotted out, but Snow White wrapped shooting over 15 months ago, so we’ll just have to wait and see.