Thanks in large part to girls and women, Maleficent debuted to a powerful $70 million from 3,948 theaters at the North American box office in a major win for star Angelina Jolie and Disney. Overseas, the live-action fairy tale took in an impressive $100.6 million for a worldwide total of $170.6 million.
Seth MacFarlane’s A Million Ways to Die in the West wasn’t so fortunate, underscoring the risky nature of Western-themed movies. The R-rated comedy, from Universal and Media Rights Capital, opened to a disappointing $17.1 million from 3,158 locations domestically — a fraction of the $54.5 million earned by MacFarlane’s Ted on the same weekend two years ago, or the $49 million debut of fellow Universal R-rated comedy Neighbors three weeks ago (Neighbors continues to dazzle, crossing the $200 million mark globally over the weekend).
For more on this story visit: Pamela McClintock, Hollywood Reporter