LOS ANGELES — “Oz the Great and the Powerful” clicked with moviegoers. Disney's 3-D prequel to the classic L. Frank Baum tale “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” debuted in first place and earned $80.3 million at the weekend box office in the US and Canada and $69.9 million overseas, according to studio estimates Sunday. “Oz” tells the origin of James Franco as the wizard with Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz as the trio of witches he encounters after crashing in the mystical realm of Oz. The updated take on “Oz,” which was directed by original “Spider-Man” trilogy mastermind Sam Raimi, was a gamble that looks like it will pay off for the Walt Disney Co. The film reportedly cost $200 million and opened a week after “Jack the Giant Slayer,” another big-budget 3-D extravaganza that reimagines a classic tale, flopped in its opening weekend, debuting with $28 million at the box office. “Oz” was also golden overseas. The film conjured up $69.9 million from 46 foreign markets, including Russia and the United Kingdom. “Oz” could follow in the footsteps of Disney's “Alice in Wonderland,” another costly 3-D film, which opened on the same weekend in 2010 and went on to gross over $1 billion worldwide. – Reuters
