Weekend Preview: Stealing Lives

Melissa McCarthy uses a credit card; Jude Law uses a pill. Both are trying to steal their costars' lives, though I'm pretty sure that Identity Thief will be a little funnier than Side Effects. And for the heck of it, why not add into the mix Charlie Sheen's limited release film with an excessively long title from Writer/Director Roman Coppola: A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III. And a last minute addition to the schedule, Top Gun 3D!

This weekend should have a clear winner, much like last weekend, with the crown going to Identity Thief. Even with the good will from Soderbergh's last film, I just don't see Side Effects pulling in a large enough crowd overcome Bateman and McCarthy. Tom Cruise's return to the skies should be the third highest grossing new release for the weekend, even though Cruise's star has faded a little now that we know how crazy he is. Anyway, Top Gun opened in 1986 to around $8 million. The 3D re-release won't have anywhere near that good of an opening weekend, but it could probably reach that amount by the end of its limited run. Lastly, Charles Swan should nab a million or so from the two theaters it is opening in.

Excited about any of this weekend's new releases? Share in the comments below!

Tune in next time for a Valentine's Day showdown between Beautiful Creatures, A Good Day to Die Hard, Safe Haven, and Escape from Planet Earth.