"Oz the Great and Powerful"
How is this for a comparison: "Oz the Great and Powerful" made $79.1 million at the North American box-office in its opening weekend. "The Wizard of Oz" made $16.7 million in its lifetime.
"Oz the Great and Powerful" is a smash and on its way to profitability thanks to its debut weekend that included $69.9 million in international box-office, bringing its total take to $149 million worldwide in three days.
The new picture reportedly had a production cost of $215 million, plus a $100 million marketing budget, for a total cost of $315 million. The film is going to conjure up far more than that in the next two months, and on a movie like this one, don't forget the merchandising.
Meanwhile, when "The Wizard of Oz" was released in 1939, it was considered a big-budget failure that didn't cover its $3 million production cost when it was first released.
One of America's most-loved movies didn't reach profitability until a 1949 re-release for the movie's 10th anniversary.
It made some more money with a 1955 re-release, and then it became an annual TV staple beginning in 1956. That's when the money started pouring in as "The Wizard of Oz" became a beloved cinema icon for multiple generations.
Again, don't forget the merchandising: Far beyond the box-office, consider the totals from seven-plus decades of sales of ruby-red slippers, snow globes, Christmas ornaments and anything else you can stamp "The Wizard of Oz" onto for retail consumption.
Because of this and the stories behind the making of the movie, "The Wizard of Oz" ultimately took on a life of its own and became its own industry and will continue to make millions through products beyond DVD sales.
But on first glance, from a box-office perspective only: "Oz the Great and Powerful" is a hit, and "The Wizard of Oz" was a miss.
