Oz The Great And Powerful Makes $22 Million Friday To Start Best Box Office Weekend Of 2013

Oz The Great And Powerful is a huge movie, and is easily the biggest of 2013 so far. But anyone who was getting excited for something record-shattering, or even on par with Disney's own Alice in Wonderland, may be disappointed today.

According to the early numbers at The Hollywood Reporter, Oz made $22 million on Friday, which now puts it on track for somewhere between $75 and $80 million for the weekend. Earlier estimates had predicted the film would cross the $80 million mark, and that's still possible-- it all depends on how many families turn out to see it today. But talk of it being able to match Alice's debut, which was always a long-shot anyway, is officially off the table, and many will now look to overseas grosses, where Oz is bound to be huge and start working toward the estimated $300 million that Disney spent on it.

Regardless of whether or not Oz is as much a mega-hit as expected, we're still glad to see it out there, after Eric gave it a four-star review and Katey gave it one of only 2 perfect score in our To 3D or not to 3D series. It's better than Alice in Wonderland by a mile, and no lower box office will tell us otherwise.

Let us know in the comments what you're seeing this weekend, even if it isn't Oz The Great And Powerful, and we'll have a full box office rundown for you on Sunday.

Katey Rich

Staff Writer at CinemaBlend