The Angelina Jolie-led fantasy adventure feature tops the domestic box office during the weekend, but not to the tune of big numbers. 

It was a slow weekend for Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, which topped the domestic box office charts grossing $36 million domestically from 2,790 North American theaters. It’s a disappointing start for the sequel to the 2014 original, which hauled $69 million in its inaugural outing. 

“While it’s a lower opening than we had expected, we do think we have a good start for October with a great window leading into Halloween,” Disney’s president of global distribution Cathleen Taff said. “With great word of mouth, audiences will gravitate to the film.”

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil scored a 96% Rotten Tomatoes audience average. 

The film also stars original star Elle Fanning alongside newcomers Michelle Pfeiffer, Ed Skrein and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

The Angelina Jolie-led fantasy adventure feature tops the domestic box office during the weekend, but not to the tune of big numbers. 

It was a slow weekend for Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, which topped the domestic box office charts grossing $36 million domestically from 2,790 North American theaters. It’s a disappointing start for the sequel to the 2014 original, which hauled $69 million in its inaugural outing. 

“While it’s a lower opening than we had expected, we do think we have a good start for October with a great window leading into Halloween,” Disney’s president of global distribution Cathleen Taff said. “With great word of mouth, audiences will gravitate to the film.”

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil scored a 96% Rotten Tomatoes audience average. 

The film also stars original star Elle Fanning alongside newcomers Michelle Pfeiffer, Ed Skrein and Chiwetel Ejiofor.