Into the Woods Casts a Spell at the Box Office

The newly released film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's musical Into the Woods, directed by Rob Marshall, took in a total of $46,105,000 from its December 25 release through the holiday weekend.

It's the biggest opening weekend in history for a movie adapted from a Broadway musical. In its first weekend of wide release, the film was seen by four times the number of people who saw it during the runs of both successful Broadway engagements combined.

Into The Woods, with a screenplay by Lapine and songs by Sondheim, follows the intertwined tales of several Brothers Grimm fairy-tale characters as they journey through the forest. The musical premiered on Broadway in 1987 with Broadway legend and Sondheim regular Bernadette Peters originating the role of the Witch.

The much-anticipated (especially by musical-theater lovers) film stars Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Billy Magnussen, MacKenzie Mauzy, Lilla Crawford, James Corden, and more.

So far, Into the Woods is the 14th-highest-grossing movie-musical to date, with no signs of stopping.