CinemaNerdz

Box Office Weekend: Identity Thief Sneaks to the Top of a Down Box Office

Seth Paul
Box Office

Identity ThiefOn a night all about the movies, it may be ironic that overall profits are down to early February levels…with the red carpet bringing out the stars and awards for the films of 2012, the current fare at the theaters are not bringing out the dollars, especially with only three of the top ten being critically acclaimed. Identity Thief, which fell to A Good Day to Die Hard last week, came back to the forefront with a strong third week performance with an estimated $14.1 million, the comedy making an excellent $93.7 million in domestic revenue. Its previous competitor, on the other hand, is not doing so well on the domestic front; while Bruce Willis’ fifth turn as John McClane has made back its money overseas, A Good Day to Die Hard has not done quite so well domestically, with an estimated $10 million resulting in a rather plodding $51.8 million and, even adjusting for inflation, the worst earner of the franchise.

Dwayne Johnson’s Snitch made an estimated $13 million, and other than its big name star’s performance, very little else in terms of acclaim; though, to be fair, it has received a warmer welcome critically (if not financially) than Escape from Planet Earth, whose estimated $11 million puts it closer to breaking even ($35.1 million against $40 million), and Safe Haven, the romantic drama’s estimated $10.6 million putting it well over what it needed to make ($48.1 million to $28 million), but a surprisingly low draw for a film based on material by novelist Nicholas Sparks; of the eight film adaptations of his work, it is the sixth highest earner.

Dark Skies opened in the lower half of the top ten, and like other PG-13 horror films of its ilk, its low earnings still made it profitable. Costing only $3.5 million, its estimated $8.9 million made it a worthwhile investment, if not a critical favorite. Silver Linings Playbook, Warm Bodies, and Side Effects, on the other hand, are critical favorites, and with an estimated $6.1 million, Silver Linings Playbook shows why it received the Oscar nods, with a domestic total of $107.5 million in fifteen weeks at the box office. Warm Bodies (estimated $4.8 million) is not quite as hot with a grand total of $58.3 million, but it has still made money over its $30 million costs. Side Effects is only likely to break even despite its acclaim, its estimated $3.5 million leaving it still $5 million short of its reported $30 million budget.

Finally, it appears it is lights out for non-Twilight supernatural romance, as Beautiful Creatures looks ready to bomb, its estimated $3.4 million leaving it with only $16.3 million in domestic box office. With $60 million in costs to cover, its meager worldwide take does not bode well for success in its theatrical run…or to overtake the Stephenie Meyer juggernaut to which it inevitably will be compared.

Weekend Box Office (February 22nd – February 24th)

  1. Identity Thief…$14.1 million
  2. Snitch…$13 million
  3. Escape from Planet Earth…$11 million
  4. Safe Haven…$10.6 million
  5. A Good Day to Die Hard…$10 million
  6. Dark Skies…$8.9 million
  7. Silver Linings Playbook…$6.1 million
  8. Warm Bodies…$4.8 million
  9. Side Effects…$3.5 million
  10. Beautiful Creatures…$3.4 million

Seth Paul

When not failing to write novels and screenplays, box-office guru Seth writes humorous comedy tracks for films under the name "The One Man Band" that can be found at Rifftrax.com. Although, he has recently succeeded in writing the novella "Jack Alan and the Case of the Not-Exactly Rocket Scientists," available as an eBook on Amazon. He is also the English voice of Zak in "Zak McKracken: Between Time and Space."
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