Weekend Forecast: 'Maleficent' & 'A Million Ways to Die in the West'

The end of May and beginning of June bring Disney's Maleficent and Universal's A Million Ways to Die in the West.

Maleficent

PROS:

- The title character, as the famous villain of Disney's Sleeping Beauty, gives the pic some what built-in appeal.
- Angelina Jolie's star presence should attract older crowds (particularly women).
- Disney's success with Frozen helped revive the brand's appeal among moms and daughters--expected to drive this film at the box office.
- Maleficent represents the first tentpole of summer aimed squarely toward women of all ages.

CONS:

- Fathers and sons are likely to opt for X-Men, Godzilla, or any number of other male-oriented films in the market.
- While considered a mega-star, Jolie hasn't been present at the box office very much in recent years.
- Opening the weekend after Memorial Day hasn't been a grand slam strategy for most studios in the past, although this looks to buck that trend.

A Million Ways to Die in the West

PROS:

- Seth MacFarlane's star grew immensely after the success of Ted two years ago.
- The all-star ensemble could help attract audiences outside of MacFarlane's typical audience.
- Aside from Neighbors, the comedy market isn't too saturated yet.

CONS:

- Westerns have an ugly recent history at the box office when they aren't well-reviewed Oscar contenders.
- MacFarlane leads the film himself, a burden he didn't have to carry with Ted.
- Social media buzz is noticeably lacking, as are positive reviews from critics.

Check out our complete weekend forecast in the table below.

Phil Contrino, Daniel Garris, Alex Edghill, and Shawn Robbins contributed to this report.