"Identity Thief" surprised at the box office by beating out new release "Side Effects," winter blizzard Nemo and the Grammys.
The Melissa McCarthy, Jason Bateman and Genesis Rodriguez starrer over-performed by scoring $36.6 million in its opening weekend. The film had one of the best openings for an R-rated comedy and was director Seth Gordon's best start to date. Universal stated that Nemo knocked 10 percent off its total and that the film could have made $40 million over the weekend. "Identity Thief" is now expected to make $100 million during the course of its theatrical run.
"Warm Bodies" came in second place and dropped an estimated 44 percent. The movie made $11.5 million, bringing its total to $36.7 million. "Bodies" may end up with $50-$55 million by the end of its run.
The second new release "Side Effects" had a hard time making $10.02 million. The total was less than recent Steven Soderbergh films "Contagion," "Magic Mike" and "The Informant." However, it did better 2012's "Haywire."
The Academy Award nominated "Silver Linings Playbook" continued over-performing by dropping a mere 11 percent for a total of $90 million. The Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper starrer is expected to top the $100 million mark in the next two weeks.
"Hansel and Gretel" dwindled from second to fifth place and only made $5.75 for a total of $43.8 million. It will make $50 million by the end of its theatrical run.
The weekend also saw Best Picture front-runner "Argo" expand to 1,405 and make $2.5 million; the movie has already made $123.7 million. "Argo" will be released on DVD on February 19th.
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