‘Identity Thief’ reclaims top spot in slow weekend at box office

“Identity Thief� has stolen back the top spot at the weekend box office, taking in an estimated $14.1 million to trump new releases “Snitch� and “Dark Skies,� according to an estimate from distributor Universal Pictures.

Co-financed by Universal and Elliot Inc., “Identity Thief� had been No. 1 when it debuted back on Feb. 8. This weekend, the movie, made for about $35 million, also bested 20th Century Fox’s “A Good Day to Die Hard,� which had held the top perch the previous weekend but slipped to No. 5. That film is projected to take in $10 million this round, down 60% from last weekend.

“Identity Thief� was down 41% from last weekend. The movie, which co-stars Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman, is a buddy comedy about a mild-mannered man who gets his identity stolen by a woman and tries to track her down. It earned a “B� from CinemaScore. The film has now grossed $93.7 million in the U.S. and is a safe bet to cross the $100-million mark domestically.

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With much of Hollywood gearing up for Sunday night’s Oscar race, overall it was a slow movie-going weekend. In total, there was an estimated $105 million in ticket sales, down 21.5% from the same weekend last year, when all releases collected $133.7 million, according to Hollywood.com.

Summit Entertainment’s “Snitch,� an action film starring Dwayne “The Rock� Johnson, finished second behind “Identity Thief,� with $13 million, according to an estimate from the distributor. Summit, a subsidiary of Lions Gate Entertainment, paid about $2.5 million for the U.S. distribution rights to the film, which received a “B� CinemaScore rating.

[For the Record, 10:51 a.m. Feb. 24: An earlier version of this post stated that Summit Entertainment paid about $5 million for the U.S. distribution rights to “Snitch.� It paid about $2.5 million.]

Debuting on 2,511 screens, the movie performed better than the $12 million that pre-release audience surveys had pegged it to open with over the weekend. Johnson stars as a father who goes to work as an undercover informant for the government in an effort to save his son from jail time.

The thriller “Dark Skies� opened with an estimated $8.85 million, finishing in sixth place. The Weinstein Co. release, produced by Jason Blum, stars Keri Russell and centers on a couple who must protect their children from aliens. The picture, which received a “C+� CinemaScore, unfurled on 2,313 screens. It was not shown to critics in advance of its opening, which is typically a sign that the distributor fears that a film will not receive favorable reviews.

ALSO:

‘Identity Thief’ will easily steal No. 1 from ‘Side Effects’

‘Snitch’ will fight for No. 1 on a slow weekend at the box office

‘Good Day to Die Hard’ barely wins Presidents Day weekend box office

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