Though it sunk to second place last week, Identity Thief won the box office this week, earning $14.1 million. Dwayne Johnson's new release Snitch took in $13 million and second place, while animated flick Escape From Planet Earth came in third with an $11 million haul. Romantic tearjerker Safe Haven came in fourth with $10.6 million, and A Good Day to Die Hard rounded out the top five with $10 million. The week's other new release, horror flick Dark Skies, earned $8.9 million.
A Good Day to Die Hard celebrated its first weekend of release at the top of the box office with $25 million. Last week's No. 1, Identity Thief, slipped to the second spot, earning $23.4 million. A couple of the week's other new releases, Safe Haven and the animated film Escape From Planet Earth, followed up with $21.4 million and $16 million, respectively. Warm Bodies fell to fifth place with $9 million, and fellow fantasy romance Beautiful Creatures came in with just $7.5 million.
If you're looking for the ideal movie to catch, this weekend brings the release of three very new and very different films. Bruce Willis's John McClane is back on the big screen in A Good Day to Die Hard, and he's bringing reinforcements. For the romantics at heart, the newest Nicholas Sparks adaptation, Safe Haven, pairs Josh Duhamel and Julianne Hough as star-crossed lovers. If you're well into Twilight withdrawal, check out the latest supernatural teen fantasy, Beautiful Creatures. Browse through all the pictures and let us know which movie you'll be seeing.
Bruce Willis returns as tough-as-nails New York City detective John McClane in the unnecessary new chapter of the Die Hard franchise, A Good Day to Die Hard. When John finds out his estranged son Jack (Jai Courtney) is being held prisoner in Moscow, he packs his bags intending to rescue him. Little does he know that Jack is actually carrying out a mission for the CIA. Once John inadvertently foils the operation, Jack's task to rescue a political prisoner (Sebastian Koch) soon becomes their task. It's a basic plot that soon devolves into elongated, stunt-filled action scenes, blatantly manufactured emotional moments, and predictable plot twists.
Even when forced to work with partners, John McClane has always been a lone wolf. This time, rather than running from someone, he's running toward his son, who, after a rocky childhood, happens to want nothing to do with him. Their troubled relationship takes a backseat to the action sequences, but when emotional moments do show up, they're schlocky and generic. At first, the headstrong Jack is furious to see his father, but wouldn't you know it, he slowly warms up to the old man. Jack's got the smarts, and John has the ability to fearlessly stand amid gunfire and wield a machine gun. They make a great team — if only they had better material to work with. Find out what else I thought of A Good Die to Die Hard when you read more.
I have a renewed appreciation for Bruce Willis after he rocked my socks off in Looper, and he's back in his element yet again in the role that made him an action star: John McClane. In the trailer for A Good Day to Die Hard, the fifth film in the Die Hard franchise, McClane has to regulate on some bad guys in Moscow, and he's got his grown son, Jack (Jai Courtney), along for the ride. Don't look for the story in this trailer — it's just a brief teaser full of traditional action-flick elements like explosions, punch-outs, and female eye candy, but I would be lying if I said it isn't a good time.
In a world full of so many sequels, I can't complain about getting another Die Hard movie. It looks like pure popcorn-movie fun, and when McClane compares himself to James Bond in the preview, I realized that he kind of is our American Bond. A Good Day to Die Hard comes out on Feb. 14 (so start making those romantic theater plans now, folks), and you can get your first glimpse of the film after the jump.
Bruce Willis is strapping on John McClane's tank-top-and-machine-gun combo once again for a Valetine's Day 2013 release of the next Die Hard sequel, A Good Day to Die Hard. Though Willis is on board, there is an important part that the film still needs to cast: John McClane Jr. Rumors are swirling that the studio is testing actors to play McClane's son in the film, which will follow McClane as he and his boy fight a threat in Russia together. Casting is still up in the air at this point, though a few names have been tossed around, like Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul, Paul Dano, and Ben Foster. But it's time for you to play casting director: who would you like to see as Willis's son in the action franchise?
