Box Office Report: ‘Snow White’ Shines While ‘Alto Knights’ Struggles

Disney’s latest fairy tale adventure, Snow White, has awakened at the box office with a strong start, raking in $16 million on its opening day. The film, starring Rachel Zegler as the iconic princess and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, hit 4,200 theaters across the U.S. and is expected to cross $45 million in its opening weekend. While this is a solid start, the film still has a long way to go before it can be considered a true success, given its massive budget.

Snow White Faces a Tough Climb

With a reported production cost of over $250 million, Snow White is one of the most expensive movies of the year. To be profitable, it will need to perform well not just in its opening weekend but over the long run, both in domestic and international markets.

Comparisons are already being made to Disney’s recent films. Last December, Mufasa: The Lion King started with a lukewarm $35 million but managed to hold strong, ultimately earning over $250 million in North America and crossing $700 million worldwide. However, not every Disney film has managed to pull off such a feat. In 2019, Dumbo opened with $45 million but only managed to make $353 million globally—a disappointing result considering its $170 million budget.

For Snow White, the key to success will be strong audience word-of-mouth and continued interest in the coming weeks. The film received negative reviews from critics but has been getting decent reactions from moviegoers. Early audience feedback has been positive, earning the film a respectable “B+” CinemaScore.

However, Snow White lacks the advantage that Mufasa had—being released during the busy holiday season when more families head to theaters. This means that the film will have to rely on strong weekend performances and international box office numbers to turn a profit.

The Alto Knights Hits Rock Bottom

While Snow White is off to a promising start, Warner Bros. is facing a major disappointment with its new crime drama, The Alto Knights. The film, which stars Robert De Niro in a dual role as two unrelated but identical-looking gang leaders, had a disastrous opening day, bringing in only $1.17 million from 2,651 theaters.

Unlike Snow White, which is a family-friendly film with broad appeal, The Alto Knights is an R-rated crime drama, a genre that has struggled at the box office in recent years. Even with De Niro’s star power and director Barry Levinson’s reputation, the film has failed to draw in audiences.

Warner Bros. had hoped that The Alto Knights would perform better than another recent disappointment, Mickey 17. That film, a sci-fi drama directed by Bong Joon-ho, also struggled to attract audiences despite its big-budget production. However, Mickey 17 had a much higher cost, whereas The Alto Knights was made on a more modest $45 million budget.

Unfortunately, the lower budget isn’t enough to save The Alto Knights from being labeled a flop. If the movie continues on this path, it will likely struggle to even break even, making it one of Warner Bros.' biggest misfires of the year.

The Road Ahead

Looking ahead, Snow White has a chance to be a success, but it will need strong legs at the box office to justify its enormous cost. If audiences continue to support the film in the coming weeks, it could follow the path of Mufasa: The Lion King and build momentum. However, if attendance drops too quickly, it could go the way of Dumbo, struggling to make back its budget.

Meanwhile, The Alto Knights appears to be dead on arrival. With such a weak opening, it’s unlikely to recover, and Warner Bros. may have to cut its losses.

As the weekend progresses, all eyes will be on Snow White to see if it can hold steady. Will Disney’s latest fairy tale prove to be a box office hit, or will it struggle under the weight of its high expectations? We’ll have to wait and see.