Oz The Great and Powerful was just that over the weekend, grossing some $80.3 million at the box office.

Overseas, the pre-Wizard of Oz 3D picture made an additional $69.9 million, bringing its total to $150.2 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The film, directed by Sam Raimi and starring James Franco as the man who became the wizard, beat out last week’s box office winner Jack the Giant Slayer and the train that just keeps on chugging along, Identity Thief.

Besides Oz, the week’s other newcomer Dead Man Down, starring Colin Farrell and the original Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Noomi Rapace, placed fourth, grossing a mere $5.4 million.

Rounding out the top five is the crime drama Snitch, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. The film, which has received mostly negative reviews, made just over $5 million in domestic ticket sales.

Meanwhile, Silver Linings Playbook grossed another $3.7 million, bringing its grand total to $120.7 million.

The box office will soon get crowded with a handful of buzz worthy films: Halle Berry’s new thriller The Call, Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens’ Spring Breakers and the new comedy The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, starring Steve Carell, Jim Carrey and Olivia Wilde.

What did you watch at the movies this weekend?

Jack may have won the weekend box office, but it was a relatively quiet one to begin with.

The 3D fantasy flick Jack the Giant Slayer grossed some $28 million, beating fellow box office newbies 21 and Over and The Last Exorcism: Part II, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The star-studded flick, starring Nicholas Hoult as the title character, also employs the talents of Stanley Tucci, Bill Nighy and Ewan McGregor.

Meanwhile Identity Thief continues to hold strong with moviegoers, taking in another $9.7 million to bring its to-date total to $107.4 million.

In third place was 21 and Over, a self-described film courtesy of Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, the brains behind The Hangover script.

A Good Day to Die Hard, which opened on top only two weeks ago, dropped like a fly to 9th place, taking in some $4.5 million.

Silver Linings Playbook, starring the newly minted Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence, is still holding strong with another $5.9 million. The David O. Russell picture has grossed more than $115 million since opening in November.

What did you see at the movies this weekend?

Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman’s Identity Thief returned to first place at the box office during Oscars weekend, grossing an estimated $14.1 million. The comedy’s grand total since opening two weeks ago now stands at $93.7 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Newcomer Snitch, starring Dwayne Johnson, and the animated flick Escape From Planet Earth earned $13 million and $11 million, respectively.

Silver Linings Playbook is the only Oscar-nominated film that finished the weekend in the top 10, with $6.1 million in ticket sales.

With its weekend earnings, the David O. Russell picture has officially surpassed the $100 million mark since its wide release in November.

Keri Russell’s new horror film Dark Skies opened with a weak $8.9 million. The film couldn’t catch up to Safe Haven and last week’s box office giant A Good Day to Die Hard to finish in the top five.

What did you see at the movies this weekend?

Valentine’s Day has come and gone, and it appears that lovers spent their time at home – or at least away from movie theaters – instead of celebrating their affection via the silver screen.

Meanwhile, action lovers turned out in droves to watch Bruce Willis beat the stuffing out of bad guys in A Good Day to Die Hard, and in slightly fewer numbers, comedy fans came back yet again to check out Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman in Identity Thief.

This Friday, Willis will have some competition in the action department courtesy Dwayne Johnson’s Snitch, while Keri Russell makes her first venture into horror with the shrouded-in-secrecy film Dark Skies. Click through Celebuzz’s gallery of the week’s highest-profile films, and then take a look at each of their trailers below.

Click here to launch Celebuzz Five Flicks In Five Clicks for the weekend of February 22

Dark Skies

A Good Day to Die Hard

Identity Thief

Safe Haven

Snitch

Which of these films are you most excited to see this weekend? Let us know what’s your favorite of the five in the comments section below!

In addition to chocolates and romantic dinners, it looks like many lovebirds spent their Valentine’s Day with Bruce Willis.

The actor’s latest flick, A Good Day to Die Hard, took in some $1 million at the box office on Thursday; the film is expected to finish President’s Day weekend on top as well.

Meanwhile, Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman‘s comedy Identity Thief is still trucking along. The film took in some $35 millionduring its opening weekend last week.

With the Oscars just around the corner, even the White House is talking movies.

Earlier this week, First Lady Michelle Obama praised Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts of the Southern Wild, in front of the director and his stars Quevenzhane Wallis and Dwight Henry.

“It’s a movie that makes us all think deeply about the people we love in our lives who make us who we are,” she said at a special screening of the film at the White House.

For more of the week’s hottest movie headlines, check out the latest edition of One Minute Buzz, with Hyla, above. Then tell us: what are you planning to watch this weekend?

Last weekend, the critically-trounced Identity Thief left its mark on the box office, but this week, three solid contenders hope to dethrone it from the top spot.

Given the Valentine’s Day holiday, it comes as little surprise that Hollywood released not one but two films featuring appropriately sweeping love stories, while simultaneously providing effective counterprogramming in the form of a bombastic action sequel.

Precisely what will take the biggest share of the weekend box office revenue remains to be seen, but scroll through trailers for all of the highest-profile films being released this week as you decide which one will get your hard-earned money.

Beautiful Creatures

Escape From Planet Earth

A Good Day To Die Hard

Identity Thief

Safe Haven

Which of these films are you the most excited to see? Watch the trailers above and then let us know your choice – and why it’s your choice – in the comments section below.

Fans went nuts earlier this week when New York Observer film critic Rex Reed published a review of Identity Thief, which referred to the movie’s star, Melissa McCarthy, as “tractor-sized” and a “female hippo.”

Co-Host of MTV’s Nikki & Sara Live, Nikki Glaser, stopped by Celebuzz’s The Daily Buzz and we took the opportunity to ask the comedienne what she though of a fellow funny girl being torn apart for her weight in the review. And Glaser came to McCarthy’s defense.

“This is vicious,” says Glaser. “He’s a movie reviewer, this has nothing to do with the movie.”

Disgusted, Glaser believes there might be an ulterior motive for Reed slamming McCarthy, “I think this guy is trying to get attention.”

Glaser pokes fun at celebrities on her show but she says there’s a distinct difference with her brand of comedy.

“I would never make a fat joke on my show, it’s way over the line,” saying fat jokes are easy to make and lack creativity.

Nikki and Sara Live airs Tuesdays at 11PM on MTV.

Watch the interview above.

As a celebrity should McCarthy expect this kind of criticism? Or is it just cruel?

A Nor’easter named Nemo and bad reviews didn’t stop moviegoers from buying tickets to Identity Thief on Friday.

The comedy starring Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman opened to a strong $11.2 million on its first day, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, could finish the weekend on top with $34.8 million.

The film, which gives McCarthy’s first starring role since 2011’s Bridesmaids, beat out the other newcomer of the weekend Side Effects, which grossed around $3 million.

Despite a star-studded cast that also includes Amanda Peet, Jon Favreau and rapper T.I. Identity Thief has not received the kindest of words from critics.

“Identity Thief is essentially a sloppy ‘80s character comedy with a sleeker 2013 editing and scripting sensibility,” Tasha Robinson of The A.V. Club wrote, comparing it to director Seth Gordon’s other miss, Horrible Bosses.

Peter Debruge of Variety called the picture’s storyline “meager” while The Wrap’s Alonso Duralde says the film squanders Bateman’s “gifts.”

Did you catch Identity Thief this weekend? What else did you see at the movies? Share your comments below.

And with the refreshing rise of female comedic actresses, from out the shadows emerges Melissa McCarthy.

The 42-year-old funny girl isn’t new to acting. In fact, she’s been ­­cracking people up for years.

Her numerous supporting parts in Charlies Angels, Samantha Who? and Life as We Know It have were well-received, while her sitcom Mike and Molly, in which she embraces her plus-sized figure and finds love in an Overeaters Anonymous group, garnered her an Emmy.

But major fame didn’t come until recently, when she received Oscar-caliber recognition with an award nomination for her riotous role as Megan, the abrasive, butch sister-in-law-to-be, in Bridesmaids.

And it’s only been uphill from there.

Now, having mastered the art of the outrageous sidekick and perfected the parameters of comedic relief, Melissa gets a chance to step off the sidelines and shine on her own with a leading role in the new movie Identity Thief.

In the funny film out Friday, McCarthy plays Diana, the unsuspecting scam artist who is living large after robbing Sandy Bigelow Patterson (Jason Bateman), a quintessential nice guy with a gender-neutral name, of his identity. She is now the irritating moving target in Sandy’s life and he’ll stop at nothing to reclaim his self.

McCarthy may just be getting her moment now, but Celebuzz remembers this star from her Gilmore Girls days.

As Sookie St James, McCarthy was a necessary fixture in the quick-witted, culturally positioned mother-daughter series. The scatterbrain top chef and lovable friend to Lorelai Gilmore, she scored lots of laughs with her klutzy demeanor, ridiculous ramblings and sheer quirkiness.

She was an absolutely affable addition to the sometimes-serious cast.

Check out this scene for a well-representing glimpse of Melissa’s early talents.

After reading reviews for this weekend’s new comedy, Identity Thief, it’s like the critics challenged each other to a contest of who can come up with the most creative way to dislike the movie.

Bridesmaids’ breakout star, Melissa McCarthy, joins Jason Bateman in director Seth Gordon’s follow-up to Horrible Bosses. In Thief, McCarthy plays a brash woman responsible for stealing the identity of Bateman’s character, Sandy. The two are forced to team-up for the most awkward road trip ever, full of endless jokes aimed at Sandy’s less-than-masculine name.

So is Identity Thief worthy of all this anti-praise? Read on to find out…

Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal

“Melissa McCarthy stole big chunks of a great show in the 2011 Bridesmaids… On the strength of that sensational comic turn, she clearly deserved her own starring vehicle. But no one —neither the star nor her audience — deserves Identity Thief, the comedy equivalent of mud-wrestling without the mud.”

Alonso Duralde, TheWrap

“[Identity Thief] has the kind of cast that makes audiences ask, ‘How bad could it be?’ before proceeding to answer that very question. Bateman, for his part, tries to inject whatever life he can into the straight-man half of this comedic duo, but it’s yet another film where his gifts are squandered.”

Peter Debruge, Variety

“With Identity Thief, Melissa McCarthy proves she’s got what it takes to carry a feature, however meager the underlying material.”

Tasha Robinson, The A.V. Club

“Like Horrible Bosses, the previous feature from director Seth Gordon, Identity Thief is essentially a sloppy ’80s character comedy with a sleeker 2013 editing and scripting sensibility. But for all the streamlining, Identity Thief rarely hits breakneck speed, thanks to its long, sometimes improvised scenes of mayhem. And the frame isn’t the only thing pared down to utilitarian basics: The tacked-on, Elmore Leonard-esque villains get short shrift too.”

Roger Moore, Movie Nation

“[The filmmakers] aimed for Midnight Run, settled for attempting Due Date, and wound up with Guilt Trip.”

Still on the fence about seeing Identity Thief? Watch the trailer, then let us know what you thought of the film in the comments section below.

Zombie love ruled at the box-office last week, but can the heartfelt undead defend themselves against fighter jets, poison pills and identity theft? Taking in nearly $21 million, Warm Bodies will have to hold up against the Jason Bateman-Melissa McCarthy comedy Identity Thief, the pharmacological thriller Side Effects from director Steven Soderbergh and the IMAX 3D re-release of Top Gun.

With the last few months being fairly top-heavy will horror/thriller releases, we’re willing to bet that Identity Thief will steal itself the top slot with a much needed dose of comedy. Despite being the critical darling of the group, however, it’s difficult to say whether Side Effects will find its audience.

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters

Identity Thief

Side Effects

Top Gun (IMAX) 3D

Warm Bodies

What will you go see this weekend? Drop us a line and let us know!

This weekend at the movies, Magic Mike himself challenges one of the stars of Bridesmaids to Box Office Thunderdome.

Channing Tatum and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’s Rooney Mara headline Steven Soderbergh’s psychological thriller, Side Effects, while Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman play it for laughs in Identity Thief.

Two movies enter, but only one movie leaves. Which new release will win No. 1 bragging rights?

Following his crazy successful 2012 at the box office, Tatum reunites with his Magic Mike director for Side Effects, a complicated thriller about murder, paranoia and prescription drugs.

Because Effects is director Soderbergh’s supposed last theatrical feature film before retiring, anticipation is higher-than-normal for a February release, despite the film’s mixed reviews.

Anticipation is also high for the high-concept comedy Identity Thief, starring McCarthy as the titular cyber criminal responsible for making life a very fresh hell for Bateman’s character.

Comedy tends to draw in some serous crowds at the box office, but so does C-Tates. And with last week’s champ, the zombie rom-com Warm Bodies, garnering very good word-of-mouth, this Box Office Battle is too close to call.

Which movie will you see this weekend? Watch the trailers for both above and then drop your predictions for box office champ in the comments section!

Taking her place among the reigning queens of comedy, Melissa McCarthy took a long time getting there, coming up on TV shows like The Gilmore Girls, Samantha Who and Mike & Molly.

You could call it the school of hard knocks, which would make her new movie Identity Thief a PHD program. A slam in the head with a guitar, a near miss with a 32-pound panini maker, and a hostile meet-and-greet with the front bumper of a car are just a few of the hazards McCarthy endured on the set of the new comedy.

“I got hurt a lot and I’m apparently an idiot,” she told reporters last weekend in Beverly Hills. “At the end of it I was like, ‘There was that stunt woman there for so much of this.’ I dunno, I think I get kind of excited to do it, and then I don’t really think about doing it 42 times.”

In her new movie, she plays an identity thief pursued by her victim, played by Jason Bateman. McCarthy’s role was originally written for a man, but after seeing her at the premiere of Bridesmaids, Bateman called Universal to suggest her for the part.

“They said, ‘Why don’t you see if you could go get her?” recalled Bateman. “So I took her out to a quick meal and had her sign something while she was passed out from the booze,” he joked.

She could have used some of that booze to dull the pain during production. In one scene, Bateman confronts her in her apartment and a physical altercation ensues.

“I saw the guitar there while we were rehearsing. And we were trying to figure out a way to stop her from leaving and we didn’t want to do the tackling of her yet,” said Bateman. “And I said, ‘What if I take her off her feet with this guitar?’ kind of joking, but not really.”

McCarthy got a sense for what was coming and quickly spoke up, “You’re kidding, right?” But director Seth Gordon (Horrible Bosses) just kept laughing and Bateman started taking a few practice swings with the guitar. “And I was like, ‘Oh God, I think I’m gonna get hit in the face with a guitar,” groaned McCarthy.

And that’s not all she got hit with. Later in the scene, as she makes a break for the door, Bateman’s character picks up a panini maker and hurls it at her head.

“There were about 14 fake panini machines that weigh about a quarter of an ounce cause they’re foam, and then there was one real one that weighs like 32 pounds,” growled McCarthy. “And the first time we did that run to the door, he picked up the real one and let that thing fly toward my head.”

“Missed her,” interjected Bateman. “I didn’t know that there were any light ones. I thought they were all real.”

For all the hits she took making Identity Thief, McCarthy got some revenge when Bateman had to tangle with a live snake on the set. In one scene, the pair are stuck in the wilderness without a car or money, sleeping under the stars when a king snake attacks Bateman.

“They said, ‘There’s no way that the snake will ever come anywhere near you,” grinned McCarthy. “Then they put the snake down and it made a bee-line for his leg, which I really enjoyed.”

“Right up my pant leg and got basically all the way up to my kneecap before they yelled cut,” added Bateman. “So I had to endure a full night with a seven foot king snake, one that wrapped itself around my neck.”

In the end, producers found a CG snake to be more effective than the real thing, so they scrapped the footage they shot with Bateman and the snake.

“None of it’s in the movie,” he lamented. “I think we have the snake traveling towards my body, but that’s about it.”

Seated next to him, recalling all their bumps and bruises, McCarthy summed it up succinctly, “It was a dicey shoot.”

Check out two hilarious clips from Identity Thief below.

How do you think the movie came out? Was it worth it for the cast to take a few lumps in the name of making audiences laugh? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

The Identity Thief opens this weekend, pairing Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy in a double billing that doesn’t even need a trailer to get us excited. Both McCarthy and Bateman are at the top of their game these days that their casting as this mismatched duo is actually something of a comedic no-brainer.

All of which got us to thinking: which actors working today would we like to see thrown into a comedy together?

With a number of young, up-and-coming talents slowly establishing themselves as laugh-riot icons, we went through our rolodex of funnymen (and funnywomen) to invent a few unlikely pairings of our own.

Click here to launch Celebuzz’ gallery of 8 Great Comedy Teams We’d Love to See On Screen

Take a look at our gallery, and then let us know which of these you dig the most. Who would you cast in your ideal comedy if Hollywood handed you the keys?

Will the real Sandy Bigelow Patterson please stand up?

Melissa McCarthy is one sneaky criminal in her new film, Identity Thief.

In the comedy, the 42-year-old funny woman is Diana, a Miami resident who basks in the joys of unlimited credit card spending, thanks to the stolen identity of Patterson, played by Jason Bateman.

All is well in Diana’s world until the real Patterson catches up to her, halfway across the country.

“Here’s my driver’s license with my name, Sandy Bigelow Patterson. Gotcha,” Bateman’s character says after an intentional rear-ender with his thief.

‘Identity Thief,’ out in February, also features a pretty impressive star-studded cast.

Directed by Seth Gordon (who worked with Bateman in 2011’s Horrible Bosses), the comedy also stars John Cho, Eric Stonestreet, Amanda Peet, Jon Favreau and T.I.

If the trailer is any indication, the film contains some of the best comedic lines in recent memory (“Look at her, she’s like a hobbit. I can handle her. I’m going after Bilbo”).

In other Bateman news, the 43-year-old is, of course, at work resurrecting Arrested Development. The long-awaited Season 4 will premiere on Netflix in spring of 2013.

Identity Thief opens in theaters Feb. 8, 2013.

Check out the new trailer for Bateman and McCarthy’s new comedy, ‘Identity Thief,’ above.