( EW.com ) -- Identity Thief ( CinemaScore : B ) fared even better than expected , bringing in $ 36.6 million over the weekend across 3,141 theaters . For comparison , Melissa McCarthy 's last major film Bridesmaids ( though it was in a supporting role ) opened at $ 26.2 million , in 2,918 theaters . With an opening like this , big things are surely expected from Seth Gordon 's R-rated comedy which has already surpassed its $ 35 million production budget . Though Bateman and Gordon had a successful run with Horrible Bosses after a $ 28.3 million opening weekend in July 2011 , Bateman has n't had this kind of luck with most of his starring roles . Universal 's The Change-Up ( with Ryan Reynolds ) opened at $ 13.5 million in August 2011 and went on to gross only $ 37.1 million domestically , on a $ 52 million production budget . Jonathan Levine 's Warm Bodies took second place for its second weekend with $ 11.5 million , bringing its domestic total to $ 36.7 million . This breaks Levine 's record , beating the lifetime domestic gross of his last feature , the cancer dramedy 50/50 with Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt , which brought in $ 35 million . The R-rated Hitchcock-style , prescription-drug thriller Side Effects ( CinemaScore : B ) ended up beating director Steven Soderbergh 's January 2012 weekend opening of Haywire , earning $ 10 million weekend this weekend and averaging $ 3,845 per theater . We talked a little bit about stars Rooney Mara and Channing Tatum 's box office history yesterday . Another star of Side Effects is Jude Law , and he 's got a varied track record at the box office . He generally participates in ensemble casts -- Anna Karenina , the Sherlock Holmes franchise , Soderbergh 's Contagion , The Holiday -- making his singular box office appeal somewhat more elusive . Side Effects has Soderbergh 's name and another strong ensemble , and could go on to a respectable run , even though it wo n't reach Contagion heights ( the epidemic thriller eventually grossed $ 76 million ) . EW reviews : 'Identity Thief ' Rounding out the top five are Silver Linings Playbook and Hansel and Gretel : Witch Hunters . The Academy Award-nominated Silver Linings Playbook is now at a cool $ 90 million domestically . The Weinstein Company 's $ 21 million David O. Russell feature is steadily on its way to becoming a $ 100 million movie . This would be a first for Russell whose The Fighter came close with $ 93.6 million in domestic grosses . The $ 83 million Hansel and Gretel : Witch Hunters came in fifth place this weekend with $ 5.8 million , bumping its domestic total to $ 43.8 million . Notably , the Jeremy Renner vehicle is doing quite well overseas with $ 84 million . 1 . Identity Thief -- $ 36.6 million . 2 . Warm Bodies -- $ 11.5 million . 3 . Side Effects -- $ 10 million . 4 . Silver Linings Playbook -- $ 6.9 million . 5 . Hansel and Gretel : Witch Hunters -- $ 5.8 million . EW reviews : 'Side Effects ' Top Gun 3D also opened in 300 theaters to a $ 1.9 million weekend , and awards favorite Argo expanded its release to bring in $ 2.5 million , bumping its domestic total to $ 123.7 million . See the original story at EW.com . CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved .
`` Identity Thief '' scored $ 36.6 million in its opening weekend . In comparison , McCarthy 's last major film `` Bridesmaids '' opened at $ 26.2 million . `` Warm Bodies '' took second place .