“Identity Thief” Steals Box Office Crown, “Side Effects” Underwhelms

Poor reviews did little to deter moviegoers from checking out “Identity Thief.”

The Jason Bateman-Melissa McCarthy comedy garnered $11.2 million in box office receipts Friday, which positions the film for an opening weekend total of as much as $35 million.

If “Thief” keeps on that course, its opening weekend gross will exceed that of both “Horrible Bosses” (Bateman) and “Bridesmaids” (McCarthy).

Not so lucky at the box office Friday was “Side Effects,” which only earned $2.8 million for third place Friday (behind “Warm Bodies” and its $3.3 million). While expectations were not high for this film, it still featured a big name cast with a big name director.

“Silver Linings Playbook” ($1.6 million) and “Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters” ($1.4 million) completed the top five.

Brian Cantor

Brian Cantor is the editor-in-chief for Headline Planet. He has been a leading reporter in the music, movie, television and sporting spaces since 2002. Brian's reporting has been cited by major websites like BuzzFeed, Billboard, the New Yorker and The Fader -- and shared by celebrities like Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj. Contact Brian at brian.cantor[at]headlineplanet.com.

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