Apart from March being an annoyingly long month with generally mediocre weather and not much to look forward to apart from St. Patty’s Day, it has also typically been an odd month for Hollywood. It’s that weird in-between stage: post-Oscars and awards show blitz and prior to the start of the summer blockbuster bonanza. Call me crazy, but it seems a pattern is emerging of March’s renaissance as the new “It” month for family friendly releases, a theory supported by the fact that Sam Raimi’s “Oz: The Great and Powerful” opened this past weekend to an estimated $80.2 million, blowing all of the competition out of the water (or I suppose you could say, out of Kansas…)
The impressive $80 million opening has secured it a place of prestige as the 3rd highest grossing opening weekend for a movie released in March ever, trailing behind other family friendly fare of previous years, last year’s “The Hunger Games” and 2010’s “Alice in Wonderland.” While “Hunger Games” may not be strictly for children with its somewhat graphic plot, its targeted audience is still a younger generation, a generation that will also probably flock to the land of “Oz” in coming weeks.
The hype around this movie is huge, even if the reviews so far haven’t exactly lived up to expectations. While many critics have praised its visual prowess, some claim the plot leaves much to be desired. As Chris Nashawaty at EW describes it, “Oz is like retinal crack, he (Raimi) never seduces our hearts and minds.”
Regardless of reviews, ever since it was announced, it seemed “Oz” was destined for greatness and box office success, even though it’s a prequel seventy-plus years in the making. With the man behind the crowd-pleasing “Spiderman” franchise sitting in the director’s chair and some fresh, young talent of the likes of Mila Kunis, James Franco (who just received a star on the Walk of Fame), and Michelle Williams, the film is poised to attract legions of new fans, not just fans of the original 1939 classic. Considering the strong start, I’d say its well on its way to doing just that.