‘Identity Thief’ Is This Weekend’s Box Office Champ

Identity Thief proved once again that you don’t have to appease the critics in order to enjoy a successful debut. The much-maligned comedy earned an estimated $36.6 million at the box office over the weekend.

In addition to Rex Reed’s mean-spirited review, the comedy starring Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy received mostly negative reviews from critics. Although the film has a 74 percent rating from moviegoers, Identity Thief is currently stuck with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 24 percent.

According to Box Office Mojo, director Seth Gordon’s R-rated flick had an estimated production budget of around $35 million. While the film could see a steep decline next weekend, the comedy is still a pretty big success for the folks at Universal.

E! Online reports that writer-director Jonathan Levine’s romantic comedy Warm Bodies managed to snag the second place position over the weekend. Summit Entertainment’s zombie-oriented love story earned around $11.5 million over the past three days. This brings its domestic total to around $36.7 million.

Director Steven Soderbergh’s final theatrical release Side Effects ended up in third place with around $10 million in ticket sales. The independently-financed thriller starring Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum, and Jude Law cost around $30 million to produce.

David O. Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence continued to perform well at the box office. The Oscar buzz surrounding the flick helped it earn an estimated $6.9 million over the weekend.

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, the English-language debut from Dead Snow director Tommy Wirkola, has proven to be a moderate success for Paramount. Although the film has only earned around $43 million domestically, the film’s foreign haul currently sits at $84 million. Worldwide, the action-horror hybrid has made an impressive $127 million.

This weekend’s top 10 is included below.

1. Identity Thief – $36.6 million
2. Warm Bodies – $11.5 million
3. Side Effects – $10 million
4. Silver Linings Playbook – $6.9 million
5. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters – $5.8 million
6. Mama – $4.3 million
7. Zero Dark Thirty – $4 million
8. Argo – $2.5 million
9. Django Unchained – $2.3 million
10. Bullet to the Head – $2 million

Did you catch Identity Thief in theaters over the weekend?