“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” has given Disney another No. 1 at the box office. But unlike its other 2019 hits, this sequel will need help from overseas to make back its costs.
After making $12.5 million from 3,790 screens on Friday, “Mistress of Evil” is now projected for a $38 million opening weekend. That’s below pre-weekend projections of a $45 million opening and well below the $69 million opening earned by the first “Maleficent” in 2014.
The good news for the film is that while critics were generally negative with a 40% Rotten Tomatoes score, family and younger female audiences gave it an A on CinemaScore.