'Maleficent' sequel wins the box office but performs below expectations

Disney

"Maleficent: Mistress of Evil."

• Disney's "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil," came in first place at the domestic box office with an estimated $36 million.
• That's below industry projections and the opening weekend for the original, which was released in 2014.
• Warner Bros.' "Joker" stays strong, coming in second place with $29.2 million.
• Sony's "Zombieland: Double Tap" came in third with $26.7 million.

After Warner Bros.' dominance the last two weeks thanks to "Joker," Disney has stepped up to take the top spot at the domestic box office this weekend with "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil." However, this villain didn't do close to the same business the evil clown did.

"Mistress of Evil," which is a sequel to 2014's "Maleficent," in which Angelia Jolie reprises her role of the legendary Disney villain from "Sleeping Beauty," took in an estimated $36 million. 

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• That's below the $40 million projection the industry had for the movie's opening.
• And it's under the $69.4 million the original title earned in 2014.

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That's not great for a movie with a reported budget of $185 million, however, if the first movie was any indication, "Mistress of Evil" will earn the bulk of its box office overseas. "Maleficent" brought in over $500 million in foreign tickets.

"Mistress of Evil" also had some competition. WB's "Joker" is staying strong in week three, coming in second place with $29.2 million. Made for around $60 million, the twisted drama now has a worldwide total of over $737 million.

Sony's "Zombieland: Double Tap," the sequel to 2009's "Zombieland," came in third place with $26.7 million. Though it took ten years to make a sequel, Sony made it for only $23.6 million, and that modest spending will likely lead to the studio breaking even or perhaps making a profit on the zombie comedy by the end of its run.