'Oz' proves powerful so far

With "Oz The Great and Powerful," taking the top spot at the box office was not under debate. The discussions were around just how it big it would be.

At $80 million, it is off to a powerful start. It is the third best opening for a March release ever, but was it enough to spark a flow and ignite the turnstiles this year?

For "Oz," which seems to be all over the place visually and with the story, the second week may prove more worthy of note. On that note, last week's winner dropped 63 percent but still sits in the No. 2 spot. A drop like that and still being in second place tells a story that the box office needs more help. Perhaps "Oz" can have staying power.

Weekend

1. "Oz The Great and Powerful" - $80 million

2. "Jack the Giant Slayer" - $10 million

3. "Identity Thief" - $6.3 million

4. "Dead Man Down" - $5.3 million

5. "Snitch" - $5.1 million

The comparisons to "The Wizard of Oz," are out and about and that really doesn't need to be done as this is the prequel. However, in this latest film, there are the obvious homages. It will not take the movie viewer long to spot one right off the bat.

That aside, what is getting lost in translation was the "The Wizard of Oz" was a flop at theaters. It wasn't until TV resurrected it did it become the classic we know today. The same is true for "It's a Wonderful Life." However, that trek to classic status was a tale of public domain and over-playing.

March Openings

1. "The Hunger Games" - $152 million (2012)

2 . "Alice in Wonderland" - $116 million (2010)

3. "Oz The Great and Powerful" - $80 million (2013)

The one constant buzz seems to be that James Franco is miscast, but that didn't hurt the film this weekend. With spring break hitting the states and Easter at the end of the month, the film could maintain some strength.

Now it is out and word of mouth means a great deal going forward.