LOS ANGELESâ€" The Academy Awards, or “the Super Bowl for women,†as the media industry often refers to it, typically makes for a quiet weekend at the multiplex. This year was no exception, even though both new wide-release films were aimed at men.
The No. 1 movie at North American theaters was a holdover: “Identity Thief†(Universal), which continued its remarkable run, taking in about $14 million, for a three-week total of $93.7 million, according to Hollywood.com, which compiles box office data. A new entry, “Snitch†(Lionsgate), sold about $13 million in tickets, on par with pre-release expectations but a soft result nonetheless. Third place went to “Escape From Planet Earth,†an animated movie that started slow last weekend but is now clearly a win for the Weinstein Comany; it took in about $11 million, for a two-week total of $35.1 million.
“Safe Haven†(Relativity) was fourth, selling about $10.6 million in tickets, for a two-week total of $48.1 million, while “A Good Day to Die Hard†(20th Century Fox) fell to fifth place in its second weekend, taking in about $10 million, for a new total of $51.8 million. The new micro-budgeted alien thriller “Dark Skies†(Weinstein) got a chilly reception and took in about $8.9 million.
