Despite the box office usually being fairly open over the Oscar weekend, it was a particularly bad time for new movies, as the Dwayne Johnson action flick Snitch just missed out on the top spot, taking $13 million to place second. That allowed Identity Thief to return to the top, adding another $14 million, to take its total so far in American to $93 million.

There was only one other new entry in the top 10, the sci-fi horror Dark Skies, which could only place sixth with $8.8 million – although as it only cost $3.5 million to make, it’s by no means a disaster.

If Bruce Willis was hoping A Good Day To Die Hard would have a long run at the US box office, he’s likely to be disappointed, as the film plummeted from first to fifth spot over the weekend, dropping 60% to take $10 million over the three days. At least the film is still top of the international box office, with those outside the US still enjoying a bit of John McLane.

Take a look below for the US box office top 10 for the weekend of February 22nd-24th.

Despite some truly atrocious reviews, audiences’ love of John McLane won out over the weekend, with the movie topping the US box office with $25 million from Friday to Sunday and $33 million since it was released last Thursday.

Although not a great start, it’s not too far behind Die Hard 4′s $38 million four-day total. However, it’s not likely to get great word of mouth, so it may find it difficult to sustain its box office power over the coming weeks.

As it’s Presidents Day weekend, Die Hard 5 was just one of a slew of titles hitting cinemas. Safe Haven placed third with a decent $21 million (and $30 million since its Thursday opening), which is about on par with The Lucky One, but well behind Dear John’s first weekend.

While indie animation doesn’t usually do that well, Escape From Planet Earth took a pretty good $16 million, no doubt helped by the holiday weekend and the fact that for the last couple of months US cinemas have been full of R-rated entertainment.

While Warner Bros might have hoped Beautiful Creatures would be the new Twilight, it certainly won’t be, as the film placed sixth on the chart and took just $7 million over the weekend. It’s safe to say we’re unlikely to get the sequels Warner were hoping to make.

Take a look below for the US box office top 10 for the weekend of February 15th-17th.

With the success of Twilight and The Hunger Games, everyone in Hollywood is looking for the next young adult franchise that will break the bank. One that’s hoping to do just that is Beautiful Creatures, which started shooting recently. Now the first picture from the film has debuted, courtesy of EW (and fans of The Secret Circle might notice a similarity to one of the key moments in the opening episode of that series).

The image doesn’t really give much of a hint at the supernatural elements, but Beautiful Creatures is about two star-crossed teenage lovers, Ethan (Alden Ehrenreich), a local boy, and a mysterious new girl, Lena (Alice Englert), who uncover dark secrets about their families, their history and their town, involving a long-standing curse and supernatural powers Lena possesses. Jeremy Irons, Viola Davis, Emma Thompson, Emmy Rossum and Thomas Mann will also star. The movie is based on the first of a hugely popular series written by authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.

The film is set for release February 2013.

It’s one down for Blighty, as Eden Lake, This Is England and Harry Brown actor Jack O’Connell is no longer taking the lead male role in the young adult adaptation, Beautiful Creatures, as Variety reports he’s been replaced by Alden Ehrenreich. O’Connell apparently left due to scheduling conflicts.

A coming of age story set in the South, Beautiful Creatures – which is the first of a hugely popular series written by authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl – is about two star-crossed teenage lovers, Ethan (Alden Ehrenreich), a local boy, and a mysterious new girl, Lena (Alice Englert), who uncover dark secrets about their families, their history and their town. Jeremy Irons, Viola Davis, Emma Thompson, Emmy Rossum and Thomas Mann will also star.

Ehrenreich is best known for Francis Ford Copolla’s Tetro, and has been a finalist foor many major roles, including Spider-man and The Hunger Games. Richard LaGravenese (P.S. I Love You) will direct from his own screeplay, with shooting scheduled to begin later this month.

The cast of the young adult novel adaptation, Beautiful Creatures, is fast coming together, with the latest news being that Jeremy Irons is in final negotiations to join the cast of the supernatural love story, according to Variety.

A coming of age story set in the South, Beautiful Creatures – which is the first of a hugely popular series written by authors Kami Garcia and Margaret – is about two star-crossed teenage lovers, Ethan, a local boy, and a mysterious new girl, Lena, who uncover dark secrets about their families, their history and their town. Irons is the most recent in a flurry of casting announcements, joining Viola Davis (Amma), Emma Thompson (Mrs. Lincoln/Sarafine), Emmy Rossum (Ridley), Thomas Mann (Link) and relative newcomers Jack O’Connell (Ethan) and Alice Englert (Lena). Irons will play the role of Macon Ravenwood, Lena’s mysterious and recluse uncle.

Richard LaGravenese (P.S. I Love You) will direct from his own screeplay, with shooting schedules to begin next month. The hope is this will be the first part of a major new teen franchise.

Emmy Rossum has been performing since she was a teen opera star and can currently be seen in the US version of Shameless. Now Variety reports The Day After Tomorrow and Phantom Of The Opera actress has joined the cast of Beautiful Creatures for Warner Bros. and writer-director Richard LaGravenese.

The story centers on two teenage lovers (Jack O’Connell and Alice Englert) who discover dark secrets hidden by their families. Emmy Rossum will play Ridley, the cousin of Alice Englert’s character, who turned into a dark witch on her 16th birthday. Viola Davis and Emma Thompson are also set to star.

Richard LaGravenese will direct from his own screenplay, which is adapted from Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl’s novel. Production is scheduled to begin next month in New Orleans, with a US release already set for February 1st, 2013