Debuting with the biggest opening weekend of the new year yet, Identity Thief [IDTHF] withdrew an estimated $36.6 million to top the box office. The R-rated comedy out-performed expectations and demonstrated the starpower of Melissa McCarthy [MMCCA] in her first lead role. Identity Thief appealed to older women as the audience was 58% female and 57% over the age of 30.
Last weekend's champ Warm Bodies [WARMB] dropped to second with $11.5 million, down 43% from its debut. The zombie romantic comedy has grossed $36.7 million.
Steven Soderbergh's supposed last theatrical film Side Effects [SDEFC] opened in third place with $10.0 million.
Returning to theaters on 300 IMAX screens, Top Gun 3D [TG3D] flew by with $1.9 million.
| Rank | TITLE | F-S-S | TOTAL |
| 1 | IDENTITY THIEF | $36,592,650 | $36,592,650 |
| 2 | WARM BODIES | $11,500,000 | $36,652,082 |
| 3 | SIDE EFFECTS | $10,015,000 | $10,015,000 |
| 4 | SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK | $6,908,000 | $90,001,239 |
| 5 | HANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS | $5,750,000 | $43,833,000 |
| 6 | MAMA | $4,323,355 | $64,045,500 |
| 7 | ZERO DARK THIRTY | $4,000,000 | $83,600,000 |
| 8 | ARGO | $2,500,000 | $123,734,000 |
| 9 | DJANGO UNCHAINED | $2,288,000 | $154,501,132 |
| 10 | BULLET TO THE HEAD | $1,980,000 | $8,171,000 |
| 11 | LINCOLN | $1,860,000 | $173,607,000 |
| 12 | TOP GUN 3D | $1,900,000 | $1,900,000 |
Tag(s): IDTHF, MMCCA, WARMB, SDEFC, TG3D