Box office: 'Snitch' barely edges 'Identity Thief' on slow Friday

Keri Russell thriller 'Dark Skies' makes a sold debut

By Dave Lewis Saturday, Feb 23, 2013 1:21 PM

Dwayne Johnson in 'Snitch'

Credit: Summit Entertainment

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Don't tell anyone, but newcomer "Snitch" stole the top spot at Friday nights's office from Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman.

The Dwayne Johnson crime drama pulled in a OK $4.1 million, beating comedy holdover "Identity Thief" by less than half a million dollars. The two films will be neck-and-neck for what looks like another slow weekend, with "Thief" likely ending in victory by winning over more family audiences.

"Identity Thief" has made off with an impressive $83.7 million in the U.S. so far.

The romance movie "Safe Haven" came in third place, earning another $3.5 million. It brings the Nicholas Sparks' film's domestic come to $40.9 million.

The weekend's only other wide opener, the thriller "Dark Skies" is off to a solid start, earning $3 million. The low-budget film stars Keri Russell and Josh Hamilton, and cost just $3.5 million to produce.

Bruce Willis' latest action vehicle, "A Good Day to Die Hard," picked up $2.8 million on Friday. With a current domestic total of $44.6 million, it looks unlikely to top the previous "Live Free or Die Hard," which cruised to a $134 million total.

Look for complete weekend estimates Sunday on HitFix.

Dave Lewis
Producer

Dave Lewis has been a Los Angeles-based entertainment writer and editor for nearly ten years. Originally hailing from Minneapolis, he moved to L.A. in 1996 to attend USC, before working for various periodicals and web sites including a lengthy stint at Variety.com. He joined the HitFix staff in 2011.