Yes, Red State Voters Helped Tank 'Snow White' Box Office

Disney's live-action remake of "Snow White" is out in theaters, and with a miserable $42.2 million opening weekend, it's already proven to be a historic flop.

The film, starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, cost at least $270 million to make, with tens of millions, if not more, spent on advertising. Given distribution and exhibition costs, it's likely Disney needed the film to make at least $800-850 million globally to break even. With the importance of the domestic market, US grosses needed to reach at least $400 million to give the entertainment giant a chance at profitability.

It might not even reach $100 million.

READ: Disney's About To Take Yet Another Multi-Million Dollar Loss

There are plenty of reasons why "Snow White" failed: the abandonment of the original source material, bewildering casting decisions, and horrifying CGI, as just a few examples. 

But one of the most obvious was the film's open political stance, exemplified both in how Zegler spoke about the plot and original film, and her personal comments. Like, for example, saying she hopes Donald Trump and his supporters "never know peace." 

Entertainment media, hoping to deflect blame away from their political perspective, tried to defend Zegler and left-wing politics in a new analysis of where the film made its money on opening weekend. But a closer look at their own data shows that red voters did in fact stay home, hurting the film's bottom line.

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 09: (L-R) Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot pose at the IMDb Official Portrait Studio during D23 2022 at Anaheim Convention Center on September 09, 2022 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Corey Nickols/Getty Images for IMDb)

Disney Shoots Itself In The Foot With Republican Audiences

Per an analysis by Deadline, roughly 60% of "Snow White's" box office came from blue parts of the country, which is about inline with expectations. 

So why did it fail? Because families in red areas stayed home. A lot. 

Deadline buried the lede; yes, moviegoers in red counties didn't completely abandon the film. But families overwhelmingly live in red areas; blue cities like LA, New York, Chicago and Washington D.C. are mostly filled with single young people. 

Had Zegler and Disney not offended those families with their dismissive politics, it's likely "Snow White" could have overperformed in red counties. It didn't, by any meaningful margin, because those moviegoers stayed home.

Other Disney live action IP remakes, like The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast were extremely successful, with huge opening weekends and big theatrical grosses. This is the opposite, because the film didn't appeal to young, single blue voters, and red families were too turned off to buy tickets. 

That's how you get to a $42.2 million opening weekend on a $270 million budget. Another unforced error for Disney, one that's costing them a fortune. As it should.