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Disneys Oz prequel scores box office gold

(From L-R) Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn, actress Abigail Spencer, actor James Franco, actresses Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams, Joey King, Rachel Weisz, actor Zach Braff, producer Joe Roth and director Sam Raimi pose for a picture at the premiere of the Disney movie ''Oz the Great and Powerful'' at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California February 13, 2013. 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 $80.3 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales, the biggest domestic debut of 2013. The prequel starring James Franco added $69.9 million in international markets, Disney said, for a combined $150.2 million opening around the world. "Oz" dominated all other movies over the weekend, according to studio estimates released on Sunday. Another family film, "Jack the Giant Slayer," finished a distant No. 2 with $10 million dom

Will Oz be great and powerful at the box office?

This film image released by Disney Enterprises shows James Franco, left, and Michelle Williams in a scene from "Oz the Great and Powerful." WELL, the good news is, the new "Oz" put me in mind of the Tin Man, The Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow. The bad news - because it could use more heart, courage and brains. "Oz, the Great and Powerful" comes in an opulent 3D package, but it's also a corporate product that confuses enchantment with investment, and seeks to compete with a beloved classic by being longer, louder, more technological and - in the biggest misstep - hipper. You can almost hear the studio guys pursuing four-quadrant demographics: "Let's make the new wizard younger, more handsome. Let's make the witches (Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams) sexy. Let's have some kissing. Some leather pants and high-heeled boots." Or, let's not. Instead, let's remember when the Academy Awards tried to get hipper an