“MALEFICENT” Shatters Records with P179.9-M Gross in 5 Days!

Disney's “Maleficent” bewitched the Philippine box office well beyond expectations for a No.1 finish, taking in an enchanted P179.9-million in five days nationwide for the May 28 to June 1 weekend. This according to the local office of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International, the film's distributor.

That opening gross is the year's second-biggest, bested only by last April's “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” (P251-M) but higher than “X-Men: Days of Future Past” (P175-M) which bowed last week.

Powered by positive word-of-mouth from audiences, “Maleficent” opened tremendously huge that it already surpassed the lifetime revenues of Disney's biggest non-Marvel titles, namely “Prince of Persia” (P156-M), “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End” (P155-M) and “Alice in Wonderland” (P140-M).
The “Sleeping Beauty” companion film also shattered the record for Biggest Opening Weekend for an Angelina Jolie Live-Action Movie Ever, likewise smashing the lifetime grosses of “Salt” (P131-M), “Wanted” (P95-M) and “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” (P83-M).

Overseas, “Maleficent” also reigned over the weekend box office, debuting to a magical $70 million domestically (U.S.) and $100.6 million internationally.

The film's stateside figure ranks as a record domestic debut for Jolie, edging out “Kung Fu Panda” ($60.2-M), “Wanted” ($50.9-M) and “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” ($50.3-M).

Back in the Philippines, the fairytale-based adventure reeled off in 264 screens (including 8 IMAX) in 122 locations. SM North EDSA garnered the largest share of box-office receipts with P8.41-M, followed closely by SM Mall of Asia (P8.29-M), SM Megamall (P8.06-M), SM Cebu (P7.09-M) and Trinoma (P6.19-M.)

Impressive grosses were also posted by Glorietta 4 (P4.74-M), Ayala Cebu (P4.07-M), Bonifacio High Street (P4.03-M), SM Aura (P3.47-M) and Alabang Town Center (P3.39-M).

Rounding up the Top 20 cinemas are Newport City (P3.33-M), Eastwood (P3.05-M), SM Southmall (P2.97-M), Power Plant (P2.96-M), Greenbelt 3 (P2.85-M), Greenhills Promenade (P2.82-M), SM Fairview (P2.57-M), Gateway (P2.56-M), SM Clark (P2.49-M) and Market! Market! (P2.48-M).

“Maleficent”explores the untold story of Disney’s most iconic villain from the classic “Sleeping Beauty” and the elements of her betrayal that ultimately turn her pure heart to stone. Driven by revenge and a fierce desire to protect the moors over which she presides, Maleficent cruelly places an irrevocable curse upon the human king’s newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Aurora is caught in the middle of the seething conflict between the forest kingdom she has grown to love and the human kingdom that holds her legacy. Maleficent realizes that Aurora may hold the key to peace in the land and is forced to take drastic actions that will change both worlds forever.

The film stars Angelina Jolie as Maleficent, Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple and Lesley Manville.

Now playing across the Philippines in 3D, 2D, MAX 3D and 4DX formats, “Maleficent” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.

Up Close with “MALEFICENT” Characters

Starting May 28, Philippine audiences will find themselves face-to-face with Disney’s most iconic villain “Maleficent” on an exciting adventure through a fascinating world that will unveil more about the film's characters than they ever imagined. But before that, let's meet the characters up close and find out their motivations.

Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) benevolently protects her home—the forest kingdom over which she presides—and all the creatures that dwell there, but a harsh betrayal turns Maleficent’s pure heart stone cold. Driven by relentless revenge and a fierce passion to protect her land from invaders, the now vindictive and ruthless Maleficent places an irrevocable curse on the human king’s newborn baby, Aurora.

Stefan (Sharlto Copley) is a childhood friend of Maleficent’s who comes from the human kingdom outside of the forest Maleficent calls home. Over time Stefan becomes consumed with his ambition to be King and will stop at nothing to achieve his goal.

Diaval (Sam Riley) is Maleficent’s loyal servant, who, on her command, can take on different forms to suit her purposes. He serves as Maleficent’s conscience and has strong beliefs, which he is not afraid to act upon.

Aurora (Elle Fanning) is a curious and thoughtful child who develops a bond with nature that rivals only Maleficent’s. But as she grows, Aurora is caught in the middle of the seething conflict between the forest kingdom she has grown to love and the human kingdom that holds her legacy.

The Flower Pixies. The three inept Flower Pixies are charged with caring for Aurora until her sixteenth birthday. Knotgrass (Imelda Staunton) is a tangled knot of bad humor, bossy and a superior to the other two Pixies. Flittle (Lesley Manville) is a blue Flower Pixie. She always has butterflies flying around her head. Thistlewit (Juno Temple), the youngest of the Pixies, is always giddy, playful and childlike.

King Henry (Kenneth Cranham). Before the end of his reign, conniving King Henry is determined to add the forest kingdom that Maleficent protects to his conquests at any cost in order to reap the benefits of the treasures it contains.

Princess Leila (Hannah New). King Henry’s daughter Princess Leila loyally performs her duty as princess by marrying Stefan and bearing his daughter, Aurora.

Prince Phillip (Brenton Thwaites). Handsome Prince Phillip happens upon teenage Aurora as he is traveling to the castle to meet the king. He promises that they will soon meet again—it is love at first sight.

Opening across the Philippines on May 28, 2014, “Maleficent” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.

Sleeping Beauty Fable Comes Full Circle with “MALEFICENT”

The character Maleficent was a Disney creation first introduced in their 1959 animated feature “Sleeping Beauty.” But the story of the princess who falls under a spell of eternal sleep has been told since the beginning of fairy-tale time.

The story of Sleeping Beauty evolved—under different titles—over approximately 400 years (1000 if we count some overlapping elements from Medieval times). The early written origins of the story can be traced from the French novel “Perceforest” (author unknown) written in 1527 to a tale by Italian storyteller Giambattista Basile (1636) called “Sun, Moon & Talia” from a collection entitled “The Tale of Tales,” which is generally accepted as the first collection of fairy tales ever printed.

In 1697, a version of the story,“The Beauty Asleep in the Woods,” was published by Charles Perrault in his book, “The Tales of Mother Goose.” The Brothers Grimm borrowed heavily from this version in writing their own 1812 story of a beautiful princess awakened from a spell-induced slumber, “Little Briar Rose.”

The origins of Maleficent as a female personification of evil are less clear. Basile’s story casts a Queen as the jealous, vengeful villainess but she was married to the King and not an independent outsider who inflicts a curse on the royal family. The villainess was changed to a wicked fairy by Perrault, whose version was closest to Disney’s.Perrault also introduced the element of a handsome Prince whose kiss could break the spell.

So it fell to 20th-century writers and animators and actress Eleanor Audley to invent Maleficent for Disney’s classic “Sleeping Beauty.” The film took 10 years to make and cost $6 million. It was the most expensive movie the studio had produced to that point in time.

Maleficent remains both the favorite and the most feared character in Disney’s gallery of infamy. Now she returns in a live-action version of the classic story directed by Robert Stromberg and starring Angelina Jolie.

“It was important to me as a director to retain enough of the elements of ‘Sleeping Beauty’so that people who are fans of the original won’t be disappointed when they see this,” explains Stromberg. “I felt it was important that people not only see this classic character realized in a new light but also see the genesis of some of those story elements that they remember from the original film.”

To blend the old and new into a finished screenplay, Disney hired writer Linda Woolverton. “In my time at Disney both as an executive and as a producer, Linda Woolverton is the most important writer Disney has had,” says producer Joe Roth. “Over the past 20 years she’s written ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘The Lion King’ in the animated area and ‘Alice in Wonderland’ in live action. More than any other writer, she has really kind of unlocked the notion of what a Disney film is.”

Woolverton began her process of discovering the secret life of Maleficent by watching Disney’s animated “Sleeping Beauty.” “After watching the movie, I came up with some ideas that revealed more about her character,” Woolverton explains. “I created a past for her that leads to the singular moment in which she curses the baby Aurora and then takes us past that moment from Maleficent’s point of view through the ending of the film. But it’s a reinvention; it’s not just a retelling of the same story.”

In addition to the challenge of reinventing a fairy tale that has been a staple of every childborn in the last 50 years, Woolverton had to honor both the iconic character that Disney created and the talented actress stepping into the role. “The character really is fantastic and once we had Angelina Jolie, my task was to seamlessly meld the two into one to recreate a classic, but wholly unique Maleficent,” concludes the writer.

Opening across the Philippines on May 28, 2014, “Maleficent” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.

2014 Movie line-up of Walt Disney Studios Philippines

2014 Movie Guide from Walt Disney Studios Philippines.

"Maleficent" Reveals Two New Posters

Walt Disney Pictures has just revealed two new one-sheet art (domestic and international) for its fantasy adventure “Maleficent” starring Angelina Jolie.

Featured below, the domestic poster shows Jolie hypnotically staring into the viewer as the title character's iconic horns beautifully cut the solid white background. Meanwhile, the international version features an image of Sleeping Beauty in addition to Maleficent.

“MALEFICENT” Spreads Wings in New Trailer

Disney has just released a new trailer for director Robert Stromberg’s fantasy-adventure “Maleficent” which may be viewed here.



“Maleficent” explores the untold story of Disney's most iconic villain from the classic “Sleeping Beauty" and the elements of her betrayal that ultimately turn her pure heart to stone.

Driven by revenge and a fierce desire to protect the moors over which she presides, Maleficent cruelly places an irrevocable curse upon the human king's newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Aurora is caught in the middle of the seething conflict between the forest kingdom she has grown to love and the human kingdom that holds her legacy. Maleficent realizes that Aurora may hold the key to peace in the land and is forced to take drastic actions that will change both worlds forever.

The film stars Angelina Jolie as Maleficent, Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Miranda Richardson, Juno Temple and Lesley Manville.

Opening across the Philippines on May 28, 2014, “Maleficient” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.

“MALEFICENT” Conjures New Trailer Featuring Lana Del Ray Song

Walt Disney Pictures has just unveiled the second trailer for its fantasy adventure “Maleficent” starring Angelina Jolie. The trailer, which features Lana Del Rey's unique, never-before-heard rendition of the fairy-tale tune "Once Upon a Dream," may be viewed here.



Del Rey's reimagining of the renowned song from Disney's classic animated film “Sleeping Beauty” will be featured in full during the end-credits of “Maleficent.”

The film explores the untold story of Disney's most iconic villain from the classic “Sleeping Beauty" and the elements of her betrayal that ultimately turn her pure heart to stone. Driven by revenge and a fierce desire to protect the moors over which she presides, Maleficent cruelly places an irrevocable curse upon the human king's newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Aurora is caught in the middle of the seething conflict between the forest kingdom she has grown to love and the human kingdom that holds her legacy. Maleficent realizes that Aurora may hold the key to peace in the land and is forced to take drastic actions that will change both worlds forever.

The film stars Angelina Jolie as Maleficent, Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Miranda Richardson, Juno Temple and Lesley Manville.

Opening across the Philippines on May 28, 2014, “Maleficient” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.

Disney's 'MALEFICENT” Starring ANGELINA JOLIE

The Walt Disney Studios announced today that production began Wednesday, June 13th, on “Maleficent,” starring Academy Award®–winning actress Angelina Jolie.


Directed by two-time Oscar®-winning production designer Robert Stromberg (“Avatar,” “Alice in Wonderland”), in his directorial debut, and produced by Joe Roth, “Maleficent” is written by Linda Woolverton (“The Lion King,” “Beauty and the Beast”) and executive produced by Angelina Jolie, Don Hahn, Matt Smith and Palak Patel.


Co-starring in the film are Sharlto Copley (“District 9”), Elle Fanning (“Super 8”), Sam Riley (“On the Road”), Imelda Staunton (“Vera Drake”), Miranda Richardson (“The Hours”), Juno Temple (“Atonement”) and Lesley Manville (“Secrets & Lies”).

“Maleficent” is the untold story of Disney’s most beloved villain, Maleficent, from the 1959 classic “Sleeping Beauty.” The film reveals the events that hardened her heart and drove her to curse the baby, Aurora.


Behind-the-scenes talent includes Academy Award®–winning cinematographer Dean Semler (“Dances with Wolves,” “In the Land of Blood and Honey”), production designer Gary Freeman (“Saving Private Ryan,” “The Bourne Supremacy”), two-time Oscar® nominated costume designer Anna B. Sheppard (“Schindler’s List,” “The Pianist”) and seven-time Academy Award–winning makeup artist Rick Baker (“Planet of the Apes,” “Men in Black”).


“Maleficent” is scheduled for a March 14, 2014 release in 3D.