Weekend Box Office: ‘Oz – The Great And Powerful’ has a huge opening

“Oz: The Great and Powerful” took a major lead at the weekend box officeFriday as the film opened at 3,912 theaters. The James Franco-led “Oz” brought in $24.1 million, a total which THR reports puts the film on pace for a weekend gross in the range of $69 to $74 million, with some sources expecting totals to reach $80 million. “Oz,” which received a
CinemaScore of B+ from moviegoers, had a production budget of $215 million. The reboot of the classic “Wizard of Oz” tale also stars Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams, and Rachel Weisz, and has reportedly already been given the go-ahead for a sequel.
“Oz: The Great and Powerful” blew away its competition on Friday, with the second place film, “Jack the Giant Slayer” making more than $20 million less than “Oz.” “Jack” made $2.5 million across 3,525 theaters on Friday, bringing its total domestic gross to $36.3 million since its release. “Jack” has had a disappointing box office run so far, as the film had a production budget of $195 million.
Also opening this week was “Dead Man Down,” a thriller starring Colin Farrell and Terrence Howard. The film had a rough opening, taking the number three spot on Friday with $1.8 million at 2,188 theaters. Comedies “Identity Thief” and “21 and Over” took the number four and five spots, respectively. “Identity Thief,” starring Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman, made $1.8 million across 3,002 theaters. The film has grossed $112 million to date. “21
and Over” brought in $1.6 million across 2,771 theaters on Friday, bringing its total domestic gross to a measly $13.4 million.