Oz The Great and Powerful was positioned as the first major blockbuster of 2013, and its opening weekend didn’t disappoint. 

The fantasy prequel scored an estimated $80.28 million, which is by-far the highest debut so far in 2013. Meanwhile, Dead Man Down became the latest violent R-rated movie to die a quick death.

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Oz‘s $80.28 million from 3,912 locations is over twice as high as Identity Thief‘s $34.6 million, and is the strongest debut since The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey started off with $84.6 million in December. It’s also the third-highest opening ever for March, and…

Things are picking up a little at the cinema, there are actually a couple of things worth seeing this weekend. Let’s dive in.

New This Weekend

Oz The Great and Powerful - PG
I saw this film last night and it’s worth seeing, if not quite as good as I might have hoped. Still, it’s loads better than that other Oz film I can’t stand (oh Judy Garland…). Of course this is technically a prequel to that part of the story. And it gets just a tad cheesy from time to time, but it was always enjoyable.

When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled…

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has officially surpassed the billion dollar milestone at the worldwide box office. To date, the blockbuster has earned $301.4 million domestically. With its recent release in China, where it has grossed $37.3 million in 10 days, the film has earned a staggering estimated $700 million internationally, for a global total of $1 billion to date.

Becoming only the 15th film in history to exceed one billion dollars worldwide, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey recently earned three Oscar nominations, for Best Production Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and…

Jack the Giant Slayer (CinemaScore: B+) picked up significantly over the weekend, earning a $28 million opening on 3,525 screens. This is better than it was tracking on Friday, likely due to the fact that families waited until the weekend to see the film. Still, it’s nowhere near what the movie needed to take in on its opening weekend, and will likely not even come close to making up for its almost $200 million budget.

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As the first $100 million movie of 2013, Identity Thief made $9.7 million in its fourth weekend in theaters. Down 31% from last weekend, Universal’s Jason Bateman…

Hey, there’s actually something I want to see this weekend! Jack the Giant Slayer and I’m going to be really disappointed if it’s not any good! Don’t disappoint me Singer! Because really, there’s not much else in the box office at the moment.

New This Weekend

21 and Over - R
So, I’ve been seeing the preview for this around — and I would love to have those few minutes of my life back. Seriously, this looks so bad I don’t know how anyone could want to see this. Please don’t go see it.

Straight-A college student Jeff Chang has always done what he was supposed to do. But when his two…

Rentrak Corporation, today announced the official weekend theatrical box office numbers for the weekend period of February 22nd, 2013 through February 24th, 2013 according to the company’s Box Office Essentials theatrical box office data collection and analytical service.

At the top of the list, Identity Thief. It’s a shame such a terrible film is in the lead. Speaks to the lackluster offerings available right now.

Let’s see if we can find something — anything for you guys to watch. Quite frankly, there are no new releases I’m interested in this week. This is just not a good week for movie releases.

New This Weekend

Dark Skies - PG-13
Meh.

From the producers of Paranormal Activity, Insidious, and Sinister comes Dark Skies: a supernatural thriller that follows a young family living in the suburbs. As husband and wife Daniel and Lacey Barret witness an escalating series of disturbing events involving their family, their safe and peaceful home quickly unravels. When it becomes clear that the…

Welcome to the world of the new blockbuster. Would Hollywood studios learn to make good movies, or make smarter fiscal decisions first? Given that we’re looking at “A Good Day To Die Hard” ruling over the box office, the latter is true, with the fifth installment in the action series winning a very close horse race on this Presidents’ Day weekend. The fact that this opening is significantly smaller than the one for “Live Free Or Die Hard” and that the picture is assuredly the worst in the series turns out to be irrelevant.

It’s a sad tale, but someone has to tell it. Yes a horrible film…

This is the Box Office Doldrums people. There’s not a lot to see, and the one film I thought might be worth seeing is total garbage. Let’s see if we can figure out something for you to see this weekend.

New in Theaters

Beautiful Creatures - PG-13
I could see this one going either way. I don’t know when I will get a chance to watch it, but I will try to do so before next weekend so I can give a report.

A supernatural love story set in the South which tells the tale of two star-crossed lovers: Ethan, a young man longing to escape his small town, and Lena, a mysterious new girl.…