Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movie Star

Identity Thief just opened to $36.6 million, launching McCarthy right onto the A-list. Take that, Rex Reed.

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Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movie Star
Adam B. Vary

Image by Bob Mahoney

Usually, it takes an actress several films to break into The $30 Million Club, when a film sold primarily on her star power opens past $30 million. It took Melissa McCarthy just one.

Identity Thief, starring McCarthy as a Florida con artist who swindles the identity of an average schmo (Jason Bateman), opened to an estimated $36.6 million this weekend — especially remarkable considering audiences across New England were buried under several feet of snow thanks to Winter Storm Nemo. It’s McCarthy’s first lead feature film role ever, and just her second film after her breakout, Oscar-nominated supporting role in 2011’s Bridesmaids. (She had a featured cameo in December’s This Is 40.) More importantly, Universal marketed Identity Thief by focusing on McCarthy’s killer comic chops, so as she recently told Jon Stewart, “For this one…oof, I’m really to blame.”

It means McCarthy officially joins the rarefied company of Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, and Sandra Bullock as an actress who can open a film that isn’t laden with visual effects or swooning vampires. That bodes particularly well for her next movie, The Heat, a buddy comedy starring McCarthy as a plays-by-her-own-rules Boston cop who’s forced to pair up with a by-the-numbers FBI agent played by Sandra Bullock. The film impressed 20th Century Fox so much that it recently moved the film from April 5 to the far more high profile date of June 28, right before the July 4 holiday.

Elsewhere this weekend, Steven Soderbergh’s reputed final film Side Effects opened to a tepid $10 million, one of the lowest wide releases of the filmmaker’s storied career. And a 3-D re-release of the ’80s blockbuster Top Gun earned a just-okay $1.9 million on 300 screens.

Here’s the full top 10, courtesy Box Office Mojo:

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
6. Mama — $4.3 million
7. Zero Dark Thirty — $4 million
8. Argo — $2.5 million
9. Django Unchained — $2.3 million
10. Bullet to the Head — $2 million

Suck it.

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    13 Responses So Far

    • Jara Amarillo thinks Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... is Win  about 3 months ago
    • iscrmoal   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... and thinks it’s Win  about 3 months ago
    • jkirby   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... and thinks it’s Win  about 3 months ago
    • paolaa2   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi...  about 3 months ago
    • lish1904 thinks Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... is Win  about 3 months ago
    • miths1009 3 months ago

      I enjoyed the movie, and I especially enjoy her! I love her personality ans confidence!

    • Tron thinks Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... is Win  about 3 months ago
    • merricartd   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... and thinks it’s Win  about 3 months ago
    • Louis Peitzman thinks Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... is Win  about 3 months ago
    • Mantini thinks Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... is LOL, Win & Cute  about 3 months ago
    • senoritagrey thinks Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... is Win  about 3 months ago
    • KingsandFools   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... and thinks it’s Win  about 3 months ago
    • aprild3   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi...  about 3 months ago
    • Gnazza976 3 months ago

      That movie looks horrible. How it made 36 million opening weekend is beyond me. It’d amazing how the American public will eat up the slop that Hollywood has been churning out in past years. It’s shameful.

    • Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... is starting to get hot on Facebook Share It  about 3 months ago
    • meowkittykitty   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi...  about 3 months ago
    • xlinzymmm thinks Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... is Win  about 3 months ago
    • shanedoe thinks Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... is WTF  about 3 months ago
    • louist2 thinks Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... is Win  about 3 months ago
    • jessicar14   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi...  about 3 months ago
    • Rachael P.   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... and thinks it’s Win  about 3 months ago
    • louist2 3 months ago

      Goes to show that at the end of the day all people really care about is talent and quality. As long as you’re entertaining…we will watch.

    • skumfcuk 3 months ago

      Gilmore Girls made me love her because she’s so funny and adorable but this role solidified it. She can be Sookie and still play outgoing roles. Plus, she doesn’t seem like the type of person to have any “scandals” following her, which is great and respectable.

    • Skruff thinks Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... is Win  about 3 months ago
    • joeys4   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... and thinks it’s Win  about 3 months ago
    • histrionics   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... and thinks it’s Win  about 3 months ago
    • stephanier17   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi...  about 3 months ago
    • Mandy N.   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... and thinks it’s Win  about 3 months ago
    • justins41 thinks Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... is Win  about 3 months ago
    • ionicwalrus   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi...  about 3 months ago
    • matthewl19 thinks Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... is Win  about 3 months ago
    • Mamorgan86   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... and thinks it’s Win & OMG  about 3 months ago
    • andrewp17   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... and thinks it’s Win  about 3 months ago
    • Layne R. thinks Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... is Win  about 3 months ago
    • jcpdiesel21 3 months ago

      I wish this opening had been for a better movie. I like Melissa McCarthy, but don’t care for these broad, loud roles that she’s been taking lately. Sookie St. James was subtle and still enjoyable.

    • sallymw   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... and thinks it’s Win  about 3 months ago
    • Gandaham   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi...  about 3 months ago
    • lissymartin   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi...  about 3 months ago
    • amjensen410 3 months ago

      I saw Identity Thief this weekend and I thought it was entertaining. Granted, my life wasn’t changed by seeing the film but it kept me amused for an hour and a half, which is all you can really ask for in a movie.

    • Gandaham 3 months ago

      Sookie Sookie Sookie!

    • Phillees thinks Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... is Win  about 3 months ago
    • nerdynagy   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi...  about 3 months ago
    • SomewhereInNY88   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi...  about 3 months ago
    • Lillian Nguyen   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi...  about 3 months ago
    • Joey W.   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... and thinks it’s Win  about 3 months ago
    • radiosinmotion   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... and thinks it’s Win  about 3 months ago
    • yamileandrea   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi...  about 3 months ago
    • FangsyCat   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi...  about 3 months ago
    • manuelat3   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... and thinks it’s Win  about 3 months ago
    • seitzenheimer   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi...  about 3 months ago
    • melissat18   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... and thinks it’s Win  about 3 months ago
    • heidie4   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... and thinks it’s Win  about 3 months ago
    • Lro84 thinks Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... is Win  about 3 months ago
    • EmilyA921   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi...  about 3 months ago
    • patticake1601   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi...  about 3 months ago
    • Judd Hayes thinks Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... is Win  about 3 months ago
    • Holly Gofightly   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi...  about 3 months ago
    • BANNOCK   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi...  about 3 months ago
    • evilito 3 months ago

      the movie looks dumb as shit.

    • Abbzey   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi...  about 3 months ago
    • DuchessofDoom   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi...  about 3 months ago
    • EmHen522   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... and thinks it’s Win & OMG  about 3 months ago
    • sparkycub thinks Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... is Win  about 3 months ago
    • StephAnn 3 months ago

      Love her!

    • jessicac54   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi...  about 3 months ago
    • roxiek   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi...  about 3 months ago
    • Matthew Perpetua thinks Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... is Win  about 3 months ago
    • lynne benoux 3 months ago

      Can’t wait for “The Heat”!

    • Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... is starting to get hot on Twitter Tweet It  about 3 months ago
    • shalalalalauooo thinks Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... is Win  about 3 months ago
    • cmerry   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... and thinks it’s Win & Cute  about 3 months ago
    • Matthew Perpetua 3 months ago

      I’ve been rooting for her since she was Sookie St. James!

    • hermitina thinks Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi... is Win  about 3 months ago
    • breannam   Melissa McCarthy Is Officially A Movi...  about 3 months ago
    • cmerry 3 months ago

      She is so adorable! I too hope to meet a Dolphin.. but without all the pin ballin’ and breaking sh*t :)

    • adn12 3 months ago

      As someone who grew up in the town next to hers, a few years (17) younger, I’m proud to see her succeed !

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