1. A Good Day to Die Hard- $25M/$33.2M
Bruce Willis had a leg up on his fellow 'Expendables', Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Statham, and Sylvester Stallone, in that Die Hard is an institution at this point. A certain amount of people were going to see it just out of sheer nostalgia, regardless of critics justifiably hammering it as the worst of the franchise by a long margin. In fact, the TV spots and trailers for the film didn't bother to do much but show Willis surrounded by a few explosions, with the occasional nod to that hulking Jai Courtney riding shotgun. By comparison, the tally isn't that much worse than 2007's feeble PG-13 Live Free or Die Hard, and the costs are significantly smaller this time around. Plus, with the Russian setting the film will have a wider international presence, so Fox is probably happy enough with these number to green light the sequel Willis has already been talking about.
2. Identity Thief- $23.4/$70.7M
Well on its way to $100M after a strong opening debut and tiny 32% drop. Take that, Rex Reed.
3. Safe Haven- $21.4M/$30.2M
As expected, the umpteenth Nicholas Sparks romance got off to a powerful start on Valentine's Day, as dudes hoping for a little action endures it with their ladies. These films have all settled into a certain groove, which is either slightly lower or higher depending on the power of the lead couple. In this case, Julianne Hough and Josh Duhamel don't carry a lot of weight.
4. Escape from Planet Earth- $16M
While the Weinsteins didn't exactly break the bank pushing the animated Escape from Planet Earth, it's clear that parents and families were actively seeking it out, perhaps because the genre's been bone dry for months. With a budget hovering at around $40M, it shouldn't take much to turn a profit. And hey, the B+ Cinemascore means people actually enjoyed it, as well.
5. Warm Bodies- $9M/$50.2M
6. Beautiful Creatures- $7.4M/$10M
Ooof!! Not even the strongest spell is going to make this hurt any less. Beautiful Creatures, which some were looking at as the next big supernatural drama, may not even make it to a sequel. The film suffered from a formulaic ad campaign that didn't emphasize its superior casting or unique Southern qualities, so those who've been burned by the genre likely stayed home.
7. Side Effects- $6.3M/$19.1M
Steven Soderbergh's latest continues on a path in keeping with last year's Haywire, which means it'll probably end up faring better on DVD, ending up as something of a cult fave.
8. Silver Linings Playbook- $6.1M/$98.4M
Another week, another negligible drop. After nearly four months, the Oscar-darling is finally on the verge of surpassing $100M. If it does well next weekend, expect the Weinsteins to extend its run even further.
9. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters- $3.5M/$49.7M
10. Zero Dark Thirty- $3.1M/$88M
