Oz Movie: ‘Wizard’ Mixed Reviews Dismissed, ‘Powerful’ Box Office Opening Draw Families to Theatres

The 2013 Oz movie, "Oz: The Great and Powerful" is a certified box office attraction from Walt Disney Pictures despite mixed reviews. The film earned $24.1 million on its great opening at nearly 4 thousand theatres. The total weekend gross was expected to be somewhere around $70 million. But 'Oz' surpassed expectations and earned $80.3 million at the North American box office, according to initial reports. Check the Oz trailer video for a sneak peek into the Disney film.

Oz: The Great and Powerful: Oz and the Three Witches

"Oz: The Great and Powerful" is the second Oz movie from Disney, which also delivered "Return to Oz" in 1985. Being a family movie helped the 3-D, PG-rated classic make an outstanding modern-day box office record. (Scroll down to watch an Oz trailer video.) Starring in this prequel to the 1939 MGM classic musical The Wizard of Oz are James Franco (Oz), Michelle Williams (Annie/Glinda), Mila Kunis (Theodora), and Rachel Weisz (Evanora). The powerhouse cast of witches proved to be a fabulous ensemble. Disney spent around $325 million to produce and promote the film.

2013 Oz Movie: Mixed Reviews

IMDB.com gave the 2013 Oz movie a rating of 7.1, which is a relatively remarkable score from the popular film and TV web site. It drew a 61% rating from RottenTomatoes.com critics, and 69% from the site's audience. In contrast, "Jack the Giant Slayer" drew 51% and 62% ratings, from the site's critics and audience, respectively.

"Aside from a trio of witches that can hold its own with Eastwick's in the dishiness department, Oz the Great and Powerful is a peculiarly joyless occasion," writes David Edelstein of New York Magazine.

"The film has lots of computer-generated special effects but no magic," notes Philip French of Observer (UK).

"How refreshing it is to enjoy something we never knew we wanted," writes Donald Clarke of the Irish Times.

The mixed reviews were generally dismissed by moviegoers who wanted to see the Oz movie and a modern day take on a huge classic. The Disney film accounted for 58% of the total domestic revenue for the weekend, as reported by Time.com.

VIDEO: Oz Trailer (Sneak Peek into Oz the Great)