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Tim Briody: I thought this looked fairly dumb, it got pretty well roasted by the critics, but I knew it was going to be a hit. Broad comedy still works. It helps that Melissa McCarthy sells the ever living crap out of it in the trailer and ads. I always loved Sookie. Jason Bateman pretty much plays the same guy in every movie he's in now but it still works.

Kim Hollis: I do think that people were ready for a comedy, even a poorly reviewed one, as long as it had some recognizable, reliable faces. I wasn't expecting it to be this big, but mid-20s wouldn't have surprised me. I just wish it had been a better movie, because I wish nothing but the best for Melissa McCarthy.

Felix Quinonez: I think it has to do with the fact that the leads have goodwill from audiences, especially Melissa McCarthy. I also think it's due to the fact that it's pretty much the first big comedy this year. I know we already had A Haunted House but those spoof movies are tired.

David Mumpower: More than anything else, I believe that this comedy was concept driven. Director Seth Gordon caught lightning in a bottle with Horrible Bosses, an easily reliable premise. In selecting Identity Thief as his next premise, he must have been looking for a similarly engaging premise. Mismatched comedy is a consistent box office draw when marketed well. Eddie Murphy launched his career via this method while Ben Stiller has worked steadily in the 2000s for the same reason.

The other aspect that I think is important is that BOP has chronicled the Funny Fat Man genre that has had such notable inclusions as John Candy, John Belushi and Chris Farley. Bridesmaids has apparently launched Melissa McCarthy as the female equivalent. As a huge Gilmore Girls fan, I am thrilled to see her career reaching a new stratosphere just as I am a bit depressed that she will probably wind up typecast.

Kim Hollis: Side Effects, Steven Soderbergh's self-described final theatrical movie, opened to $9.3 million over the weekend. What do you think about this result?

Brett Ballard-Beach: It's always a tough call: You have a film with a lot of twists that starts out as one genre and winds up another. Barring that maybe a trailer can't do it justice, do you milk the hell out of it and spoil everything so people may rush to see it because they're comfortable enough or do you highlight the stars and the director and a certain amount of mystery and hope that good reviews and word-of-mouth will keep it going for two months instead of one? Open Road (admirably) opted for the latter and the end result won't be known for a few more weeks. This is a decent start considering its smaller-ish budget and it should have an extended life in the digital ether down the line.

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