For a second week in a row, Oz the Great and Powerful reigned at the domestic box office. The Disney hit earned an estimated $42.2 million, down 47% off from last weekend’s debut. But the big news this week is the film that took second place. With an estimated $17.1 million from 2,507 locations, The Call wound up stealing the spotlight from the comedy debut of The Incredible Burt Wonderstone.

The fact that we all saw it coming doesn’t make it less sweet. Disney’s Oz the Great and Powerful opened big this weekend, earning an estimated $80.2 million from 3,912 locations. Not only does that more than double 2013’s highest debut, it also stands as the third-best March opening of all time, behind Alice in Wonderland and The Hunger Games.

From director Sam Raimi, Oz the Great and Powerful imagines the origins of the wizard that was first brought to life in author L. Frank Baum’s book The Wizard of Oz, in a fantastical adventure that utilizes 3D to enhance what is truly an awe-inspiring movie-going experience.  When small-time circus magician Oscar Diggs (James Franco) is unexpectedly carried from Kansas to the vibrantly beautiful Land of Oz in a tornado, he soon meets three witches – Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams) – who are unsure about whether he truly is the great wizard that they’ve been expecting.  In one of the biggest tales of fake it ‘til you make it, Oscar must use his magical skill and a little ingenuity to help good triumph over evil.

At the film’s press day, Collider got the opportunity to speak with producer Joe Roth during both the press conference and a 1-on-1 interview about how this project came about, his prior experience with the original The Wizard of Oz film, how involved he was in shaping which Baum tales they would blend together to tell this origin story, how important it was to center the film around a flawed hero, why Sam Raimi was the right director, assembling this talented cast, and the most challenging aspects of such a big production.  He also talked about the high-risk and high-reward involved in taking on such iconic characters (he’s done it with Oz, Alice in Wonderland and Snow White), their spin on the Sleeping Beauty story for Maleficent and how crucial the casting of Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning was, how they’re approaching the Alice in Wonderland sequel, and that he hopes to go into production on a very low-budget movie based on the book Heaven is for Real in the summer.  Check out what he had to say after the jump. 

Park Chan-Wook’s (Old Boy) American debut Stoker, an odd little film if ever there was one, has the Asian auteur taking on Hitchcock.  Ostensibly a remake/reimagining/updating of Hitch’s own Shadow of a Doubt, Stoker centers on a young pubescent girl, whose father has recently died under ‘mysterious’ circumstances.  Enter an equally ‘mysterious’ long lost uncle (Mathew Goode), a series of murders, a distant never-present mother (Nicole Kidman) – and Park has all the ingredients he needs to make a pretty damn efficient thriller/melodrama.  Ol’ Hitch would be proud.

Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland) is the standout here.  As India, the fatherless young woman who comes to suspect her ‘Uncle Charlie’ is a murderer, Wasikowska deftly uses her delicate features as a counterbalance to her character’s darker and more perverse proclivities — for the film is less a mystery about who Uncle Charlie is and more so who India really is.  In the following interview with Wasikowska, she discusses working with Park Chan Wook, India’s ‘self-discovery’, a potential sequel to Alice in Wonderland and her upcoming vampire Jim Jarmusch film Only Lovers Left Alive.  For the full interview, hit the jump.

When a movie grosses over a billion dollars in the worldwide box office, like Disney’s Alice in Wonderland back in 2010, you can pretty much guarantee a sequel is on the way. That seems to be the case for Alice, because screenwriter Linda Woolverton is reportedly penning the sequel. Woolverton wrote the original Tim Burton picture, which starred Mia Wasikowska in the title role and Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. Her latest effort, Maleficent, is currently in post-production. Variety reports that she also wrote the script for a stage play and musical adaptation of the 2010 Alice in Wonderland, which is to be directed by Rob Ashford. The sequel’s details are obviously being kept under wraps, but keep an eye on this one for future developments. Hit the jump to see the trailer and poster from the original film.

NBC, heady with the long unfamiliar smell of success, is snatching up projects, most recently jumping onto the fantasy train by finalizing a deal for Wonderland, executive produced by CSI creator Anthony Zuiker.  Wonderland is a drama set in the years after the events in Lewis Carroll’s Alice In Wonderland book, and is said to focus on Alice and a new character, Clara.

Elsewhere, the CW has picked up the J.J. Abrams, Ken Olin and Bryan Burk-produced project Electropolis, described as an undercover cop show meets (in my own interpretation) Skins.  For more on both of these projects and why every network seems primed to have an Alice in Wonderland story next year, hit the jump.

It’s another one for the record books. Along with the prize for highest first weekend in domestic history, The Avengers has now earned the highest second weekend with an estimated $103.1 million from 4,349 locations. That crushes Avatar’s former sophomore record of $75.6 million and represents a decline of just 50% – a better hold than The Dark Knight managed in its second frame. Even more exciting for Disney and Marvel, the worldwide estimate for The Avengers has now topped One Billion. Unfortunately, good news for The Avengers means not-so-good news for Dark Shadows. The latest collaboration of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp earned an estimated $28.8 million from 3,755 locations, or a bit less than The Avengers made on Friday alone.

Surprising no one, The Hunger Games stayed in first place for a second week in a row with an estimated $61.1 million, or a decline of 60%.  Meanwhile this weekend’s new releases – Wrath of the Titans and Mirror, Mirror – had to settle for second and third, respectively. And, again, we’re back to being really, really not surprised.

We all knew The Lorax was going to be number one, and a big number one at that.  But most box office watchers were expecting the animated film to land somewhere between $49 and $59 million on its first weekend – making it easily the biggest debut of 2012.  Instead, the adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ classic has earned an estimated $70.7 million from 3,927 locations.  Not only is that the third-highest March debut ever, it also stands as the biggest animated feature debut since Toy Story 3.  In other words, this is huge.

The 37^th Annual Saturn Awards were held last night. The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films honored the best in film, television, special effects and more. Inception was the big winner of the night, taking home five awards including Best Science Fiction Film. Other winners in the top categories include Fringe for Best Network Series, Breaking Bad for best Cable Series, Let Me In for Best Horror Film, Alice in Wonderland for Best Fantasy Film and Salt for Best Action/Adventure Film.

Hit the jump to see the full list of winners, and don’t forget to check out Collider’s interviews from the red carpet at the event. We spoke with Brandon Routh, Fringe’s Lance Reddick, and producer Dean Devlin.

Ouch.  Though it seemed likely after Friday’s figures were announced, the fact that Fox’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules so easily topped the flashier Sucker Punch has still got to hurt the folks at Warners this morning.

After pulling ahead of the pack on the traffic jam that was this Friday’s box office, Relativity’s Limitless stayed on top with an estimated $19 million from its 2,756 locations.  Fellow newcomers Paul and The Lincoln Lawyer had more modest starts, making this one more in 2011’s long line of down weekends.

Paramount did not quite reach the $50 million they were hoping for with their PG toon Rango.  With an estimated $38 million from its 3,917 locations, however, the 2D animated feature did manage to top The Green Hornet to become the biggest debut of 2011 so far.

See that?  All the box office needed to shake off the stagnant was Johnny Depp!  Debuting on the same weekend the actor owned with Alice in Wonderland in 2010, the animated western Rango is on track to have the biggest debut of the year.  The PG flick from director Gore Verbinski brought in an estimated $9.5 million on Friday from 3,917 locations and appears headed for a three day total above $40 million – and that’s without a 3D price boost.  If Paramount is pleased with their Rango debut, Universal is probably just as pleased with the debut of The Adjustment Bureau.  The Matt Damon-led sci-fi thriller opened to $6.7 million from 2,840 locations.  Expect a three-day total above $20 million, or a few million more than the studio was hoping for just a two days ago.  Alex Pettyfer is back this week in CBS Films’ Beastly.  The modern fairytale took in $3.5 million on Friday and should finish the weekend just below $10 million – right about where the studio was expecting. Full details and box office analysis tomorrow.

In what easily had to be one of the most painful, unfunny Oscar ceremonies in recent memory, The King’s Speech finally reached the end of its inevitable march to Best Picture.  It was the first Best Picture winner to win less than five Oscars (it won four, including Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay). [Correction: Crash, which won Best Picture in 2006, only won 3 Oscars]  Does that make it more or less unworthy of the Best Picture crown?  I don’t know.  I don’t care.  I’m drained after live-blogging the awful show and 50 minutes of terrible pre-show.

Hit the jump for the full list of winners.