Los Angeles ( CNN ) -- Families and couples flocked to theaters to see Disney 's `` Oz the Great and Powerful , '' raising opening weekend ticket sales around the world to $ 150.2 million , according to box office estimates released Sunday . The film stars James Franco as a carnival magician swept into the land of Oz by a tornado , a prequel to the 1939 classic `` The Wizard of Oz , '' which starred a teenage Judy Garland . `` Oz '' sold an estimated $ 80.3 million in tickets at U.S. cinemas on Friday , Saturday and Sunday , according to Exhibitor Relations , a company that gathers box office estimates as they are self-reported by studios . Another $ 69.9 million in box office receipts were collected outside the United States , bringing the global take to $ 150.2 million , the company estimated . The movie and its promotion cost Disney about $ 300 million , according to several media reports . The success of `` Oz '' dwarfed `` Jack The Giant Slayer , '' which was the No . 2 U.S. movie , bringing in $ 10 million in it 's second weekend . CNN 's David Daniel contributed to this report .
' Oz '' is a prequel to the 1939 classic ` ` The Wizard of Oz , '' starring Judy Garland . James Franco plays a carnival magician swept into the land of Oz by a tornado . The success of ` ` ' '' dwarfs ` ` Jack The Giant Slayer , '' which brought in $ 1 million .