It may not be ‘Great and Powerful’ in the eyes of the critics, but to audiences across the world, Sam Raimi’s prequel to The Wizard of Oz was the movie to see in theatres this weekend. Raking in $80.3 million at the North American box office, the $200-million-budgeted fantasy film increased the sum of its international ticket sales to an impressive $150.2 million. The 80.3-million-dollar tally makes it the third highest March debut of all time. Starring James Franco as the titular character and Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, and Michelle Williams as witches Theodora, Evanora, and Glinda, respectively, Oz the Great and Powerful currently has a 61% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 44/100 grade on Metacrtic.com. Rounding out the top five at this weekend’s box were (#2) Jack the Giant Slayer ($10M/$43.8M total), (#3) Identity Thief ($6.3M/116.5M total), (#4) Dead Man Down ($5.3M/$5.3M total), and (#5) Snitch ($5.1M/$31.8M total).
| # | MOVIE TITLE | WKND $ | TOTAL $ |
| 1. | Oz the Great and Powerful | $80.2 M | |
| 2. | Jack the Giant Slayer | $10 M | $43.8 M |
| 3. | Identity Thief | $6.3 M | $116.5 M |
| 4. | Dead Man Down | $5.3 M | |
| 5. | Snitch | $5.1 M | $31.8 M |
| 6. | 21 and Over | $5 M | $16.8 M |
| 7. | Safe Haven | $3.8 M | $62.8 M |
| 8. | Silver Linings Playbook | $3.7 M | $120.7 M |
| 9. | Escape from Planet Earth | $3.2 M | $47.8 M |
| 10. | The Last Exorcism: Part II | $3.1 M | $12 M |