Disney’s Snow White, the highly anticipated live-action musical, has had a solid start at the box office, earning $16 million on its opening day, which includes both Friday and preview screenings across 4,200 theaters. The film, starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, is on track to earn over $45 million in its opening weekend, placing it as the second-biggest debut of the year, just behind Captain America: Brave New World. However, with a hefty production budget of over $250 million, the film faces a long road to profitability.
The musical adaptation of the classic fairy tale has had a mixed reception from critics but seems to be resonating with audiences, who have given it a positive “B+” grade from CinemaScore. Though the film has become a point of debate in internet culture wars, ticket buyers appear to be enjoying it, which bodes well for its future earnings. Snow White will need strong legs to succeed, especially considering it lacks the holiday corridor that helped Mufasa: The Lion King become a hit.
Meanwhile, Warner Bros.’ The Alto Knights, a mafia drama directed by Barry Levinson and starring Robert De Niro, has had a disastrous opening. The film earned just $1.17 million across its Friday and preview screenings from 2,651 theaters, struggling to attract an audience. With a more modest budget of $45 million, The Alto Knights shares some similarities with Mickey 17, another Warner Bros. misfire, but it’s not likely to recover.
The film received a lukewarm reception from both critics and audiences, earning a “B” grade from CinemaScore. In fact, it’s projected to barely make it into the top five for the weekend, a disappointing result for the studio. Warner Bros. will be hoping for a better outcome with their upcoming release, A Minecraft Movie, which is set to debut in two weeks.
Other notable box office performances include Focus Features’ Black Bag, which is expected to see a 43% drop in its second weekend, bringing its 10-day total to around $14.8 million. Disney’s Captain America: Brave New World continues to hold strong in third place, earning another $1.1 million on Friday and approaching a $190 million domestic total.
Paramount’s Novocaine is experiencing a 57% drop in its second weekend, but it’s still projected to earn $3.8 million, bringing its total to $15.8 million. Meanwhile, Warner Bros.’ Mickey 17 is likely to reach a $40 million domestic total by the end of the weekend.
In limited releases, RLJE and Shudder’s Ash, a sci-fi horror film directed by Flying Lotus and starring Eiza González and Aaron Paul, earned about $333,000 in its opening day. Similarly, the long-delayed drama Magazine Dreams, starring Jonathan Majors, brought in approximately $330,000.
As March draws to a close, the box office is seeing mixed results, with Snow White proving a strong contender while The Alto Knights struggles to make an impact.