OZ wins big at box office

'Oz' is 'Great and Powerful' at box office

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'Oz' proves 'Great and Powerful' at box office

By Alan Duke

updated 3:53 PM EDT, Sun March 10, 2013

Will audiences embrace Disney's 'Oz'?

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• 'Oz" is a prequel to the 1939 classic "The Wizard of Oz," starring Judy Garland.
• James Franco plays a carnival magician swept into the land of Oz by a tornado
• The success of "Oz" dwarfs "Jack The Giant Slayer," which brought in $10 million

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Families and couples flocked to theaters to see Disney's "Oz the Great and Powerful," raising opening weekend ticket sales around the world to $150.2 million, according to box office estimates released Sunday.

The film stars James Franco as a carnival magician swept into the land of Oz by a tornado, a prequel to the 1939 classic "The Wizard of Oz," which starred a teenage Judy Garland.

"Oz" sold an estimated $80.3 million in tickets at U.S. cinemas on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, according to Exhibitor Relations, a company that gathers box office estimates as they are self-reported by studios.

Another $69.9 million in box office receipts were collected outside the United States, bringing the global take to $150.2 million, the company estimated.

The movie and its promotion cost Disney about $300 million, according to several media reports.

The success of "Oz" dwarfed "Jack The Giant Slayer," which was the No. 2 U.S. movie, bringing in $10 million in it's second weekend.

CNN's David Daniel contributed to this report.

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'Oz' is 'Great and Powerful' at box office