Disney's "Oz" Prequel Scores Box Office Gold

The latest celebrity news including the movie "Oz" find a home at the weekend box office and Rihanna's laryngitis forces her to cancel show.

Published

3 months ago

Categories

Entertainment

Topics

Celebrity, Movies

People

Rihanna, Melissa Mc Carthy, James Franco, John Russell

Places

United States of America, Boston

Companies

The Walt Disney Company

Transcript

There was no place like "Oz" at the weekend box office. Walt Disney Co's big-budget 3D movie "Oz the Great and Powerful" amassed more than 80 million dollars (USD) in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales, the biggest domestic debut of 2013. The prequel starring James Franco added nearly 70 million in international markets, Disney said, for a combined 150 million opening around the world. The opening numbers for "Oz" provided a strong start for the 200-million production, a prequel to 1939 Hollywood classic "The Wizard of Oz." The movie stars Franco as a small-time magician who is whisked by hot-air balloon to a magical land where he is mistaken for a wizard. Another family film, "Jack the Giant Slayer," finished a distant No. 2 with 10 million domestically during its second weekend. While, Melissa McCarthy's comedy "Identity Thief" landed third with 6.3 million from Friday through Sunday. Sometimes the show doesn't always go on as is the case this weekend for Rihanna. The singer reluctantly was forced to cancel her concert performance on Sunday (March 10) in Boston, per doctor's orders, after coming down with a bad case of laryngitis.