Maleficent' Casts Box Office Spell

By Ben Fritz 

Moviegoers flocked to a villainous twist on a fairy tale this weekend but fled from a comedic take on a Western.

Walt Disney Co.'s "Maleficent," which stars Angelina Jolie in a retelling of "Sleeping Beauty" from the perspective of its antagonist, opened to a solid $70 million in the U.S. and Canada, according to studio estimates. "A Million Ways to Die in the West," starring and directed by Seth MacFarlane, the creator of "Family Guy" and "Ted," flopped with just $17.1 million.

"Maleficent" performed even better overseas, where both Ms. Jolie and Disney are widely popular, grossing $100.6 million from 47 markets. Its most successful foreign countries were Mexico, Russia and the U.K.

Dave Hollis, head of theatrical distribution for Disney's film studio, said the PG-rated film was able to draw family audiences during the day but had enough edge to attract adults to late-night shows. In the U.S., 60% of attendees were female and opening-night crowds gave the movie an A, despite mixed reviews from critics.

The movie's successful opening continues a trend for the company's core Walt Disney Pictures label, which is distinct from its more successful animation and Marvel superhero labels. Disney's most successful movies of the past few years have been new interpretations of classic fairy tales, including director Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" in 2010 and last year's "Oz the Great and Powerful." The source material many such films, including "Alice" and "Maleficent," were previously produced in animated versions by Disney.

Going forward, Disney is leaning more heavily on film reinterpretations of animated features. Next year, the studio is scheduled to release live-action versions of both "Cinderella" and "The Jungle Book."

More consistent success is important for Walt Disney Pictures, which has been the source of its parent studio's two biggest money-losers of recent years: "The Lone Ranger" and " John Carter."

"A Million Ways to Die in the West" comes after Mr. MacFarlane had a surprise smash in 2012 with "Ted," which grossed almost $550 million worldwide. But audiences seemed largely uninterested in a comedy Western and not drawn by Mr. MacFarlane in his first live-action starring role.

The movie was made by finance and production company Media Rights Capital and Comcast Corp.'s Universal Pictures. Nikki Rocco, Universal's president of domestic distribution, said the studio was disappointed by the weak opening for "A Million Ways."

However, the movie kept Universal and MRC in business with Mr. MacFarlane, who is currently working with the two companies on a sequel to "Ted" scheduled for release next year.

Write to Ben Fritz at [e-mail]

Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires