‘Maleficent’ casts spell in box office; ‘X-Men’ follows

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent, the modern retelling of the life of Sleeping Beauty’s arch-nemesis, worked its magic on audiences over the weekend, debuting at the top of the North American box office, industry estimates showed on Sunday (Monday in Manila).

The wicked witch who has haunted generations of children raked in $70 million, according to industry tracker Exhibitor Relations, in a flick that not only casts Jolie in the title role, but was also produced by the megastar.