OPINION:
The Magic Kingdom’s spell is wearing off. Over the weekend, the latest Disney remake flopped despite a budget of more than $270 million. Moviegoers just weren’t interested in this modern take on “Snow White” reflecting the studio’s far-left worldview.
Audiences gave the live-action film a rating of 1.7 out of 10 on IMDB, which should earn it a place among the biggest turkeys of all time, alongside duds like “Battlefield Earth” and “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.”
In monetary terms, only $42 million worth of tickets sold on opening weekend, according to Box Office Mojo, meaning it’s unlikely to recoup its bloated production and marketing budget. By comparison, the original animated film pulled in $66 million on its initial 1937 run — that’s over $1.5 billion after adjusting for inflation.
This shouldn’t be a surprise, because disaster awaits all endeavors motivated by diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Woke hand-wringing prevented “Snow White” from hiring short-statured humans to play the role of the famous seven dwarves. So, they were re-cast as creepy, digital avatars.
The star of the show, Rachel Zegler, refused to allow her Snow White character to be rescued by Prince Charming, since he’s a white heterosexual man. Speaking about the original, Ms. Zegler opined, “There’s a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird. Weird. So, we didn’t do that this time.”
The revised storyline replaces Mr. Charming with a shoplifter named Jonathan. The magic mirror on the wall also suffers from substitution. When asked, “Who’s the fairest of them all?” it doesn’t identify the kingdom’s most beautiful resident. Now the mirror identifies the individual with the most social justice clout.
Rumor has it Gal Gadot, the Israeli actress who plays the evil queen, wasn’t happy with Ms. Zegler’s off-screen social justice rants. Ms. Gadot supports her home country’s actions in Gaza, while Ms. Zegler can’t resist prattling about “free Palestine” at every opportunity.
This mess has been in the works for 8 years, and its release comes as many Tinseltown executives have recognized the need to scale back DEI initiatives. Not Disney.
At the company’s annual meeting last week, Free Enterprise Project Executive Director Stefan Padfield offered a shareholder resolution that would have withdrawn Disney’s participation in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index.
“Pushing on children the belief that they can be born in the wrong body, and that such beliefs should be affirmed by minors taking puberty blockers or even undergoing experimental surgeries sometimes behind the back of their parents is bad for business. You can help Disney get out of that business by voting in favor of our proposal,” Mr. Padfield argued.
Company executives lobbied hard against the proposal, as well as a second resolution that would have required political neutrality in the company’s advertising. Both reform efforts failed, even though they would surely have revived the Mouse House’s flagging fortunes.
Disney’s annual report, also released last week, reflects a 29% drop in theatrical distribution revenue. The document admits, “[P]references of some consumers are affected by their perceptions of our position on matters of public interest, including regarding environmental and social issues.”
Moviegoers don’t want to be beaten over the head with progressive propaganda. The silver screen is an escape from mundane concerns into a world of fantasy. Disney will only recapture the magic when it returns to traditional, family-friendly content — just like the original “Snow White.”
Please read our comment policy before commenting.