Hollywood's Anti-Woke Fightback: How Rachel Zegler's 'Snow White' Disaster is FINALLY Forcing Studios to Dump 'Box-Ticking' Trans and Liberal Movies
Rachel Zegler stars as the new 'Snow White'.
March 29 2025, Published 5:45 p.m. ET
Disney's latest live-action remake of Snow White, starring Rachel Zegler, is the latest in a string of box office failures from the film studio, leading several Hollywood insiders to question the decision-making behind the $270million film.
Over a dozen sources, ranging from Oscar winners to contracted studio writers, have come forward to call out studios for hedging their bets on "woke" filmmaking, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Disney's remake of 'Snow White' is struggling at the box office.
One Disney insider said: "When the #MeToo (in late 2017) and George Floyd protests (May 2020) happened, every studio in town jumped on the woke bandwagon.
"Five years on, everyone is desperately trying to save themselves and Hollywood. You can't underestimate the fear behind closed doors. This feels like a battle for survival."
According to initial box office figures, Zegler's Snow White is struggling to meet expectations set by previous Disney remakes, such as The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid. A second source claimed it was the "final nail in the coffin of 'wokeism'".
So far, the Disney princess live-action remake has earned $100million at the worldwide box office and only $56million domestically after its second weekend in theaters.
Rachel Zegler stars as the iconic Disney Princess in the live action remake.
An Oscar-nominated producer claimed they "hear people dismissing the 'flyover states' (those in the middle of America)", adding: "Duh, those people are the ones who watch our shows and go to the movies."
The producer cited this year's Oscars as a sign of where Hollywood is at. They claimed this year's ceremony had one of the lowest ratings ever, and showcased "movies no one cares about".
Leadership from within the Academy introduced a new rule in 2020, which required films to meet certain Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) requirements to become eligible for a nomination.
Another producer said: "Films have to check the boxes: How many minorities, how many women, how many disabled people etc. Classic films like The Godfather and Casablanca couldn't be nominated today because their casts weren't diverse.
"Instead, you have films like Emilia Perez (about a cartel boss who transitions from male to female) which appeal to no one except a handful of ultra-left liberals."
Several Hollywood insiders called out studios for going all in on 'woke' filmmaking.
Another filmmaker told The Daily Mail: "When woke first came in, it was about the bottom line. Studios thought going woke would attract a new, younger audience and make them money - but all it did was p--- everyone off."
An insider at Amazon's Prime's streaming division claimed: "This was never about genuinely helping minorities… for most studio executives, DEI was another way to make money. Now it's backfired and everyone is scrambling to change direction."
Zegler and Gadot have been called out for their opposite political views.
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Despite its disastrous box office performance, Snow White is still the third biggest film to come out of Hollywood in 2025 so far, only trailing behind Disney's earlier tentpole picture, Captain America: Brave New World, which has earned $403million at the worldwide box office, and Dreamworks' Dog Man, which earned $130million.
