Fact check: Rachel Zegler is currently learning the cardinal rule of Hollywood. Thou shalt not lose thine studio money.

1. Summary of the results

The statement refers to Rachel Zegler's experience with "Snow White," which has indeed faced significant financial challenges. The film earned $87.3 million overall with $43 million domestically ^[1], eventually reaching $142 million worldwide after two weekends ^[2]. However, with production costs ranging between $240-270 million ^{[1] [3]}, the film is significantly underperforming compared to expectations and other Disney live-action remakes ^[4].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original statement oversimplifies a complex situation:

• Multiple Controversies: Zegler faced various challenges including:
• Racist backlash over her casting ^[5]
• Criticism over political statements about Palestine ^[6]
• Comments about the original Snow White film ^[6]
• Controversy over her social media posts, leading to producer Marc Platt's intervention ^[6]
• Career Resilience: Despite these challenges:
• The film became her second-highest-grossing movie, pushing her total global box office earnings past $700 million ^[2]
• She has secured a significant role in the West End production of Evita ^[7]
• External Factors: The film's performance was affected by:
• Modernized themes causing controversy ^[1]
• Possible coordinated smear campaign ^[8]
• Lack of competition during release window ^[3]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The statement presents an oversimplified "cause and effect" narrative that may serve various interests:

• Studio Interests: Disney and other studios benefit from narratives that attribute poor performance to individual actors rather than broader industry challenges or their own creative/marketing decisions ^[4]
• Political Agendas: Some criticism appears politically motivated, with Zegler's political statements and casting becoming targets for certain groups ^[5]
• Media Narrative: The "cardinal rule" framing benefits media outlets by creating a dramatic narrative about Hollywood's power dynamics, while potentially overlooking the complex factors affecting film performance ^{[9] [8]}

The situation is more nuanced than simply "losing studio money," involving multiple factors including industry politics, social media dynamics, and broader cultural debates.