Blame it on the Oscars commanding Hollywood’s attention, but even a star as powerful as The Rock didn’t have the muscles to knock comedic juggernaut Identity Thief off the box office mountain this weekend.

The actor’s latest vehicle Snitch packed less of the straight up goon-smashing and explosions common in his previous movies, spotlighting Mr. Johnson’s better-than-expected dramatic abilities. The masses clearly wasn’t hooked, with the movie bringing in a decent $13 million. 

That’s just a little less than the holdover competition, Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman’s madcap comedy, Identity Thief. The movie brought in another 14.06 million this weekend, bringing its total to $93.67 million. If (or when, judging from the numbers) Identity Thief crosses the $100 million domestic mark, it will be the first film of 2013 to reach the milestone.

The weekend’s other newcomer had even worse luck against the powers of broad comedy and deafening lead-in to the Academy Awards. Dark Skies, starring Keri Russell and produced by the people who brought us Paranormal Activity, managed a meager 8.85 million for a sixth place slot in the top ten. Even with surprisingly positive reviews, the sci-fi/horror movie couldn’t abduct enough moviegoers to contend with the crowded slate.

Giving Snitch and Dark Skies a literal run for the money, was the animated Escape from Planet Earth, which took 11.01 million for a $35.14 million total gross, the Nicholas Sparks romance Safe Haven, grossing 10.6 million for $48.06 million to date, and the other February action blockbuster, A Good Day to Die Hard, which wrangled $10 million for a $51.8 million total. All three are in their second weeks of release.

Continuing to siphon money after 15 weeks in theaters is Silver Linings Playbook. Another Weinstein Company success story, the film starring Oscar-nominees Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence slowly gained momentum leading up to the Academy Award nominations where its grosses carried it to full on “hit” status. This weekend Silver Linings picked up another $6.05 million for a domestic gross of $107.48 million.