‘Oz’ thumbs nose at critics, reigns at box office in week 2

A scene from "Oz the Great and Powerful." The film follows a magician who accidentally lands in Oz and encounters all manner of creatures. (Disney Enterprises)

China Girl, voiced by Joey King, and James Franco in "Oz the Great and Powerful." (Disney Enterprises)

A scene from "Oz the Great and Powerful." (Disney Enterprises)

Mila Kunis, left, and James Franco in "Oz the Great and Powerful." (Disney Enterprises)

Michelle Williams, center, in "Oz the Great and Powerful." (Disney Enterprises)

Finley, voiced by Zach Braff, in "Oz the Great and Powerful." (Disney Enterprises)

Michelle Williams plays Glinda in "Oz the Great and Powerful." (Disney Enterprises)

Mila Kunis, left, and James Franco in "Oz the Great and Powerful." (Merie Weismiller Wallace / Disney Enterprises)

Finley, voiced by Zach Braff, and James Franco in "Oz the Great and Powerful." (Disney Enterprises)

Finley (voiced by Zach Braff), left, China Girl (voiced by Joey King) and James Franco in "Oz the Great and Powerful." (Disney Enterprises)

Rachel Weisz, left, and Mila Kunis in "Oz the Great and Powerful." (Disney Enterprises)

A scene from "Oz the Great and Powerful." (Disney Enterprises)

Rachel Weisz and James Franco in "Oz the Great and Powerful." (Disney Enterprises)

Michelle Williams in "Oz the Great and Powerful." (Merie Weismiller Wallace / Disney Enterprises)

A scene from "Oz the Great and Powerful." (Disney Enterprises)

James Franco and Rachel Weisz in "Oz the Great and Powerful." (Disney Enterprises)

Finley, voiced by Zach Braff, and James Franco in "Oz the Great and Powerful." (Disney Enterprises)

China Girl (voiced by Joey King), left, and Finley (voiced by Zach Braff) in "Oz the Great and Powerful." (Disney Enterprises)

Quadlings and Munchkins in "Oz the Great and Powerful." (Disney Enterprises)

James Franco, left, and Mila Kunis in "Oz the Great and Powerful." (Merie Weismiller Wallace / Disney Enterprises)

James Franco, left, and Mila Kunis on the set of "Oz the Great and Powerful." (Merie Weismiller Wallace / Disney Enterprises)

James Franco, left, and director Sam Raimi on the set of "Oz the Great and Powerful." (Merie Weismiller Wallace / Disney Enterprises)

Composer Danny Elfman says the score for "Oz" came upon him "lightning fast." (Patrick Wymore / Disney Enterprises)

“Oz the Great and Powerful” was both at the box office for the second weekend in a row. “Oz” is the biggest box office hit of 2013 thus far.

The Walt Disney Studios production was No. 1 with $42.2 million, the Los Angeles Times’ Amy Kaufman reports. ”Oz” ratched up its domestic box office total to $145 million — this despite the overwhelming sentiment among movie reviewers that “Oz” lacks magic.

The Miami Herald called it “an oppressive, bloated bore” and the New York Daily News wished it “had a brain. Or a heart. Or nerve.”

The continued success of “Oz” was a shot in the arm the box office needed, analyst Paul Dergarabedian told the Associated Press. The box office is down nearly 13% over last year.

“There have been a lot of box-office casualties this year,” he said. But even with “Oz’s” success, “we’re still waiting for the marketplace to gain some sort of momentum.”

Perhaps new genre releases in March will help. On Friday, “The Croods” opens. The animated film from DreamWorks is billed as a prehistoric comedy adventure — the first family road trip. Those providing voice talent include Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Clark Duke, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener and Cloris Leachman.

For something completely and utterly different, the horror movie “Come Out and Play” also opens Friday. It tells the story of a couple on a romantic getaway who are faced with a murderous gang of … children. The film, starring Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Vanessa Shaw,premiered in Toronto last year and is based on a 1976 Spanish horror film, according to IndieWire.

Watch the trailer. If you dare.