Remarks from actress Rachel Zegler have resurfaced online and have the potential to hurt Disney's pockets.
Zegler was cast as the titular character of the live-action remake of Snow White. While the actress is currently on strike, along with the rest of the Screen Actors Guild American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and not participating in any publicity for the film, her previous interviews regarding the film from last year have stirred up controversy online. Two publicity experts told the Daily Mail that Zegler's newfound popularity is likely to affect the film, slated to be released in March 2024.
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"Disney will need to be careful with how they have portrayed Snow White and what they do and don't allow their actors to say about it going forwards. They simply cannot repeat the same mistakes and allow their actors to be so vocal in their own personal opinions during promotions," branding expert Carly Speight told the outlet. "It can have a huge impact on ticket sales, especially with the amount of negative backlash so early in the promo trail."
"Rachel is a big-named star playing one of the world's most famous fairytale characters immortalized by Disney, but instead of taking the lead of The Little Mermaid's Halle Bailey and embracing her role, Rachel has actively chosen to spoil the narrative and express the new direction she has taken Snow White in," public relations expert Nick Ede said. "I am sure Disney executives must be having crisis talks and thinking perhaps their new Snow White isn't the best person to promote the film and ensure it is a box office success."
Ede was referring to Zegler's comments that Snow White is "not gonna be saved by the prince, and she's not gonna be dreaming about true love." Zegler even went as far as to say that actor Andrew Burnap, cast as the prince, could have all of his scenes cut from the film and it would not affect the plot.
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Disney has had a string of expensive anticipated blockbusters flop at the box office. Its latest live-action release, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, made roughly $172 million domestic total during the first two months of its release.
Additionally, Disney lost approximately 7.7 million worldwide subscribers to its streaming service in the last quarter. This was a 7.4% decrease from the quarter before.