It may not have been a good day for critics, but Bruce Willis is back at the top of the US box office with A Good Day To Die Hard. The film shot into the top of the charts during the four-day Presidents’ Day weekend, earning $29.3 million ($37.5 million since opening day).
Though it had initially dominated the charts and seemed set to win the weekend after opening around Valentine’s Day, the latest Nicholas Sparks concoction, Safe Haven, could only manage a third place finish behind** Identity Thief**. The Melissa McCarthy/Jason Bateman comedy slipped one place to second with $27.8 million, meaning Josh Duhamel and Julianne Hough had to make do with arriving behind them and $25.1 million for the weekend. New ‘toon Escape From Planet Earth opened in fourth with $21 million, while **Warm Bodies **fell to fifth with $10.2 million.
It was a bit of an ugly start for supernatural romance Beautiful Creatures, which began its theatrical run with a disappointing sixth place launch, earning a mere $8.9 million. The hopes for a Twilight-style franchise run may already have been dashed - but if it gains steam or builds an audience on DVD it might yet recover. Side Effects was down to seventh with $7.8 million, ahead of Silver Linings Playbook in eighth with $7.6 million. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters dropped to ninth, earning $4.1 million, while** Zero Dark Thirty** was 10th, making $3.6 million.
To see Bruce Willis get frustrated at the charts, head to Box Office Mojo.