Los Angeles, California - Disney's remake of Snow White, 90 years after the original blockbuster, topped the North American box office this weekend with an estimated take of $43 million, but faces stiff winds – and some horrendous reviews – to make up its huge production costs.

The new live-action version has faced a series of woes – from the Covid pandemic to criticism of its use of CGI, not real actors, to portray the seven dwarves – driving up its production cost to an estimated $250 million and making it "one of the most troubled projects in Disney's 102-year history," according to the New York Times.

Some reviews have been scathing – the Guardian called it "toe-curlingly terrible" and "exhaustingly awful" – while others were a bit kinder, with The Washington Post rating it "surprisingly entertaining." Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot star.

Focus Features' spy thriller Black Bag from Oscar winner Steven Soderbergh ticked up a notch from last weekend to second place, earning $4.4 million, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported. Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett star.

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Third place, also up one spot from last weekend, went to Marvel and Disney's Captain America: Brave New World, at $4.1 million. Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford star in the latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Last weekend's second-place film, black comedy Mickey 17 from Oscar-winner Bong Joon-ho, slipped to fourth place at $3.9 million. Robert Pattinson, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo star in the Warner Bros. sci-fi tale about the many lives – and deaths – of a man who volunteers for hazardous space missions.

And last weekend's leader, Paramount's action-comedy Novocaine suffered a painful drop in ticket sales, taking in just $3.8 million. Jack Quaid plays a banker who, unlike Hollywood studios, cannot feel pain.