Weekend box office: Disney's 'Oz' has great and powerful debut

“Oz the Great and Powerful” had the biggest opening weekend debut of 2013 so far this weekend. Breaking the spell of what has otherwise been a slow start to the year for movies, Disney’s prequel to the classic fantasy “The Wizard of Oz” appealed to both families and older moviegoers with its stunning visuals and promise of some good clean fun. As a result, the film, which stars James Franco, Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis, and Rachel Weisz, grossed $80.2 million.

“Jack the Giant Slayer”, which was last weekend’s number one movie, dropped to second this weekend. That fantasy has not fared so well at the box office, grossing only $10.02 million this weekend. Meanwhile, the weekend’s other big new release, the Colin Farrell crime thriller “Dead Man Down”, debuted in fourth with only $5.3 million.

The limited release “Emperor”, which opened in only 260 theaters nationwide this weekend, did have a successful debut, however. That film, a biopic about General Douglas MacArthur, came in fifteenth this weekend, grossing $1.04 million—a whopping amount considering the small number of theaters it was playing in.

The complete list of the top 12 movies at the box office this weekend is below.

1. “Oz the Great and Powerful”: $80.2 million
2. “Jack the Giant Slayer”: $10.02 million
3. “Identity Thief”: $6.3 million
4. “Dead Man Down”: $5.3 million
5. “Snitch”: $5.1 million
6. “21 and Over”: $5.05 million
7. “Safe Haven”: $3.8 million
8. “Silver Linings Playbook”: $3.7 million
9. “Escape from Planet Earth”: $3.2 million
10. “The Last Exorcism Part II”: $3.1 million
11. “A Good Day to Die Hard”: $2.1 million
12. “Life of Pi”: $1.6 million

Check out showtimes for these movies and more at the following St. Louis-area theaters.

• Wehrenberg Theatres
• AMC Theatres
• Regal Movie Theatres
• Galleria 6
• Chase Park Plaza
• Granite City
• Moolah Theatre
• Hi-Pointe Theatre
• St. Andrews Cinema
• Plaza Frontenac Cinema
• Tivoli Theatre

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