Sam Raimi’s prequel Oz the Great and Powerful enjoyed the year’s biggest box office debut with an estimated $80.3 million, the third-highest March opening. Oz also earned $69.9 million overseas to bring its worldwide debut total to roughly $150.2 million.
The Colin Farrell-Noomi Rapace revenge thriller Dead Man Down opened in fourth place.
Here are the weekend box office estimates via Rentrak:
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Source: FULL ARTICLE at IGN Movies
By The Huffington Post News Editors
“Oz: The Great and Powerful” took a major lead at the weekend box office Friday 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.
From Danish director Niels Arden Oplev (2009’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and writer J.H. Wyman (Fringe), Dead Man Down is a gritty crime drama in which Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace star as strangers hopelessly drawn to one another by their mutual desire for revenge. We begin with Farrell’s character Victor, who has infiltrated a crime empire run by a ruthless kingpin named Alphonse (Terrance Howard) with the intent of making Alphonse pay for ruining his life. Soon, however, he meets Beatrice (Rapace), and Victor slowly discovers that she has unresolved rage of her own.
Although Farrell is a pretty good dramatic actor, his forte is his dark humor. We get whiffs of that throughout the first act, but as the mystery unravels, Victor becomes much more stoic and brooding, as does his counterpart Beatrice. In the context of the film, their performances speak volumes, particularly in what isn’t said. Farrell’s portrayal of Victor is understated and reserved, while Rapace channels her endearing persona from Oplev’s original Dragon Tattoo.
Check out these three brand new exclusive photos from the upcoming action-thriller Dead Man Down, starring Colin Farrell, Noomi Rapace, Terrence Howard, and Dominic Cooper. The movie, directed by Niels Arden Oplev (the helmer of the original Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), follows two strangers (Farrell and Rapace) who are united in a quest for revenge that leads to mayhem.
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Source: FULL ARTICLE at IGN Movies
