Weekend Box Office: 'Die Hard' Opens with a Bang, 'Warm Bodies' Zombies on
by Zack Wells
Weekend Box Office: ‘Die Hard’ opens with a bang, “Warm Bodies” zombies on.
Four new movies opened this holiday weekend, but only three made the top five.
Opening first, to no surprise, is “A Good Day To Die Hard.” It managed to pull in a slightly disappointing $24.8 million. The movie is being panned by critics everywhere (fetching a 16% at Rotten Tomatoes), but it seems to be a hit by the viewing audiences (82% like it). Maybe word of mouth will save this flick from falling far from the top.
In second is “Identity Thief”, netting an additional $23.7 million (down 31.5%), not far behind “Die Hard”. Since it opened, it has $71 million, making it the highest grossing comedy of 2013 so far (which isn’t saying much, since it’s only February). It seems that the awful reviews for the movie are not affecting audience attendance, or maybe we are just in need of more comedies.
In third is the newcomer “Safe Haven”, earning $21.5 million. This Nicholas Sparks romance novel-turned-film chose the perfect time of year to open up, having special screenings on Valentine’s Day. Critics didn’t seem too impressed with another cliché Sparks adaptation (12% at Rotten Tomatoes), but the audiences didn’t seem to agree with that.
In fourth is another newcomer, “Escape from Planet Earth”, grossing $16 million. Despite little-to-no marketing for this movie, it still opened in the top five, mainly because it’s one of the first PG-rated movies to open this year. The reviews were very mixed, gaining a 32% at Rotten Tomatoes.
And in fifth, holding strong, is “Warm Bodies”, bringing in $8.9 million, down 22.2% from last week.
Other newcomer “Beautiful Creatures”, another paranormal romance/”Twilight” audience grabber, bombed. It opened in sixth, with only $7.6 million. Ironically, it has been receiving better reviews than its direct competitor “Safe Haven”.
- “A Good Day To Die Hard” – $24.8 million
- “Identity Thief” – $23.7 million ($71 million)
- “Safe Haven” – $21.5 million
- “Escape from Planet Earth” – $16 million
- “Warm Bodies” – $8.9 million ($50 million)