Four years since the world last saw Jolie in a lead live-action role, the star returned to winning ways in Maleficent with a career-best launch courtesy of Disney’s fantasy romp.

Disney’s Sleeping Beauty spin-off about redemption was powerful enough to dethrone X-Men: Days Of Future Past in its second session and also rules the international arena through a $100.6m launch in 47 territories.

The film did not earn universal recognition from the critics, but the audience has spoken and it delivered new records for a Jolie film in North America, internationally and worldwide. IMAX screens contributed around $6.7m of the domestic result.

Fox’s latest X-Men saga slipped to number two and has reached $162.1m after two weekends and remains on course to overtake 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine ($179.9m) within days.

The final tallies of X2: X-Men United ($214.9m, 2003) and X-Men: The Last Stand ($234.4m, 2006) pose greater challenges. 

Seth MacFarlane’s all-star Western comedy A Million Ways To Die In The West did not impress the critics and arrived at number three on $17.1m through Universal.

Warner Bros-Legendary’s Godzilla ranks fourth on $175m after three sessions, while Universal’s Neighbors in sixth place crossed $200m worldwide.

In limited release, Cinedigm opened Night Moves on $24,100 in two sites, while Sebastian Junger’s Afghan War documentary and Restrepo follow-up Korengal opened through Saboteur Media on $15,100 from a single screen.

Next weekend’s wide releases are Warner Bros’ sci-fi adventure Edge Of Tomorrow starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt and directed by Doug Liman; and Fox’s drama The Fault In Our Stars with Shailene Woodley and her Divergent co-star Ansel Elgort.

Estimated Top 10 North America May 30-June 1 2014
Film (Dist) / Est wkd gross / Est total to date

1 (-) Maleficent (Buena Vista) WDSMPI $70m –

2 (1) X-Men: Days of Future Past (Fox-Marvel) Fox International $32.6m $162.1m

3 (-) A Million Ways To Die In The West (Universal) UPI $17.1m –

4 (2) Godzilla (Warner Bros-Legendary Pictures) WBPI $12.2m $174.7m

5 (3) Blended (Warner Bros) WBPI $8.4m $29.6m

6 (4) Neighbors (Universal) UPI $7.7m $128.6m

7 (5) The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Columbia Pictures) SPRI $3.8m $192.7m

8 (6) Million Dollar Arm (Buena Vista) WDSMPI $3.7m $28.1m

9 (9) Chef (Open Road) Aldamisa Entertainment $2m $6.9m

10 (7) The Other Woman (Fox) Fox International $1.4m $81.1m

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