The question this weekend wasn’t whether Oz The Great And Powerful would top the US box office, but how much it would take. While expectations meant that anything under $80 million would have been seen as a disappointment, if the final figures hold up, Oz just scraped in with $80.2 million.
Although it’s less than Alice In Wonderland (which many have been comparing it to, due to it being a new take of a classic fantasy, produced by Disney and released at the same time of year), that film benefited from being released just as the craze for 3D reached its zenith in the wake of Avatar, so comparisons are slightly unfair.
Oz’s opening is by far the biggest of 2013 so far, and more than double last year’s Disney debacle, John Carter. The House Of Mouse will be breathing easier, with all eyes on whether it can continue to make decent numbers over the coming weeks (although it’s likely to make far more internationally that it has in the US).
The only other new opener was the Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace film Dead Man Down, which sank with a fourth place opening and a $5.3 million take.
Warner will also have more to worry about concerning Jack The Giant Slayer, which had a weak start last week and has now plummeted 63% from it opening take to $10 million. It means that despite having a similar budget to Oz (around the $200 million mark), Jack is likely to wind up grossing less in its entire run than Oz has in its first weekend.
Take a look below for the US box office top 10 for the weekend of March 8th-10th.
| Rank | Title | Weekend Gross (millions) | Total Gross to date (millions) |
| 1 | Oz The Great And Powerful | $80.2 | $80.2 |
| 2 | Jack The Giant Slayer | $10.0 | $43.8 |
| 3 | Identity Thief | $6.3 | $116.5 |
| 4 | Dead Man Down | $5.3 | $5.3 |
| 5 | Snitch | $5.1 | $31.8 |
| 6 | 21 And Over | $5.0 | $16.8 |
| 7 | Safe Haven | $3.8 | $62.8 |
| 8 | Silver Linings Playbook | $3.7 | $120.7 |
| 9 | Escape From Planet Earth | $3.2 | $47.8 |
| 10 | The Last Exorcism Part II | $3.1 | $12.0 |
Bryan Singer’s Jack The Giant Slayer is the first mega-budget movie of 2013, but if Hollywood was hoping it would break the box office bank and point to a bumper year ahead, they’ll be disappointed. The film took $28.1 million in its first weekend in US cinemas, which isn’t a complete disaster, but considering the movie cost nearly $200 million to make, it’s now going to have to rely on becoming a major success outside North America if it hopes to make its money back.