'Identity Thief' set to steal the weekend

Melissa McCarthy's first headlining movie role, Identity Thief (3,141 theatres) should grab first place this weekend without resorting to any deception. The stars may be the best thing about this February comedy about a man whose identity is stolen by a woman. "A volcanic Melissa McCarthy
and dust-dry Jason Bateman elevate this weak-scripted but energetic comedy," our Chris Barsanti declares, but it's a qualified endorsement. The comedy "is about two-thirds
worthy of your money and one-third a waste of everybody’s time; in
other words, better than average for a major studio comedy these
days." The movie could earn in the mid-$20 millions, but the big x factor is the Northeast blizzard dubbed "Nemo" that could keep many moviegoers indoors. New York City alone counts for 8% of the U.S. box office, and a blizzard warning there that discourages travel may have a big impact.

"A crisp but low-voltage neo-noir," as described by Barsanti, Side Effects (2,605 theatres) is a great quality option for those who have already seen more of the Oscar nominees. Rooney Mara
stars as an anxious woman who turns to prescription drugs to help her when her ex-con husband (Channing Tatum) returns home from jail. It's supposedly director Steven Soderbergh's last film, at least for a while, and it serves as a "classy farewell," as well a reminder of "just how
few smart and unassuming genre films are being made these days." Side Effects should make it over $10 million, but not too far above that benchmark.

Top Gun will fire up its engines once again and release in 300 locations in 3D. The vintage Tom Cruise picture certainly has a following, but the question is if they will want to show up in theatres for a repeat viewing. Back in 1986, Film Journal International interviewed the film's producers,
which you can check out in our archives here.

Charlie Sheen plays a version of himself in A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III (2 theatres), which has a surprisingly appealing cast that includes Aubrey Plaza, Bill Murray, and Jason Schwartzman. According to THR's review by Deborah Young "the TV fan base who loved him in 'Two and a Half Men' and 'Anger Management' are really the only imaginable audience for this off-the-wall comedy," so don't get your hopes up too high.

On Monday, we'll see how if Nemo the blizzard wreaked havoc on the East Coast box office, or if enthusiasm from other markets helped make up the difference.