By DERRIK J. LANG
AP Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) - "Oz the Great and the Powerful" clicked with moviegoers.
Disney's 3-D prequel to the classic L. Frank Baum
tale "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" debuted in first place and earned
$80.3 million at the weekend box office in the U.S. and Canada and $69.9
million overseas, according to studio estimates Sunday.
"Oz" tells the origin of James Franco as the wizard
with Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz as the trio of
witches he encounters after crashing in the mystical realm of Oz.
The updated take on "Oz," which was directed by
original "Spider-Man" trilogy mastermind Sam Raimi, was a gamble that
looks like it will pay off for the Walt Disney Co. The film reportedly
cost $200 million and opened a week after "Jack the Giant Slayer,"
another big-budget 3-D extravaganza that reimagines a classic tale,
flopped in its opening weekend, debuting with $28 million at the box
office.
"Oz" was also golden overseas. The film conjured up
$69.9 million from 46 foreign markets, including Russia and the United
Kingdom. "Oz" could follow in the footsteps of Disney's "Alice in
Wonderland," another costly 3-D film, which opened on the same weekend
in 2010 and went on to gross over $1 billion worldwide.
"'Oz' is the shot in the arm that the industry
needed," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com.
"We had six consecutive weekends where the box office was down. As a
result, we're at a 12-and-a-half percent deficit year-to-date on box
office revenues versus last year. Not a lot of movies have worked. There
have been several underperformers."
In its second weekend, "Jack" stomped out second
place behind "Oz" with $10 million, dropping 62 percent since its
opening weekend. It earned just $4.9 million overseas. "Jack," based on
the Jack and the Beanstalk fable, was directed by Bryan Singer and stars
Nicholas Hoult and Ewan McGregor.
The only other new release this weekend, the
FilmDistrict revenge drama "Dead Man Down" starring Colin Farrell and
Noomi Rapace, opened in fourth place with $5.3 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at
U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where
available, latest international numbers are included. Final domestic
figures will be released Monday:
1. "Oz the Great and Powerful," $80.3 million. ($69.9 million international.)
2. "Jack the Giant Slayer," $10 million. ($4.9 million international.)
3. "Identity Thief," $6.3 million.
4. "Dead Man Down," $5.3 million.
5. "Snitch," $5.1 million. ($4.7 million international.)
6. "21 & Over," $5 million.
7. "Safe Haven," $3.8 million.
8. "Silver Linings Playbook," $3.7 million. ($6 million international.)
9. "Escape from Planet Earth," $3.2 million.
10. "The Last Exorcism Part II," $3.1 million.
___
Estimated weekend ticket sales at international
theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada) for films distributed overseas
by Hollywood studios, according to Rentrak:
1. "Oz the Great and Powerful," $69.9 million.
2. "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters," $11.2 million.
3. "A Good Day to Die Hard," $9.1 million.
4. "Mama," $6.3 million.
5 (tie). "Beautiful Creatures," $5.8 million.
5 (tie). "Les Miserables," $5.8 million.
6. "Silver Linings Playbook," $6 million.
7. "Jack the Giant Slayer," $4.9 million.
8. "New World," $4.8 million.
9. "Snitch," $4.7 million.
10. "Boule et Bill," $4.1 million.
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