NEW YORK — Clint Eastwood’s R-rated Iraq War drama "American Sniper" opened in January like a
superhero movie in July, taking in a record $105.3 million over the Martin Luther King Jr. four-day
weekend.
The film’s unprecedented success obliterated forecasts and set numerous box-office records. It easily
surpassed "Avatar" to become the biggest January weekend ever.
The resounding wide-release opening is also tops for the 84-year-old Eastwood, whose previous best
weekend was the $29.5 million wide release of 2009’s "Gran Torino. And it, in one weekend, gives
the Oscar best-picture race something it was lacking: a big ol’ box-office hit.
"American Sniper, nominated for six Academy Awards, immediately becomes the top grosser of the
best-picture nominees. The previous biggest hit was Wes Anderson’s "Grand Budapest Hotel,"
which made $59.1 million in its entire run.
This was actually the third week of release for "American Sniper," which played in just a
handful of theaters for two weeks. That slow release pattern helped stoke demand for the film, in which
Bradley Cooper stars as Navy SEAL marksman Chris Kyle.
"It’s become a cultural phenomenon," said Dan Fellman, head of domestic distribution for Warner
Bros. "The movie reached an audience that’s very hard to tap into. In both red and blue states,
small and large cities, tiny towns — everywhere we went — it broke records."
Going into the weekend, optimistic predictions for "American Sniper" were closer to $50
million, which still would have been an enormous success, particularly considering how little appetite
audiences have had for movies about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"This was maybe the most underestimated film of all time, considering that it did about twice what
estimates predicted," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box-office firm Rentrak.
"This just doesn’t happen."
But the film was warmly embraced by conservatives, which Fellman said was a "huge" factor. The
audience, which was 57 percent male, gave it an A+ CinemaScore. Dergarabedian said "American
Sniper" resonated with audiences craving a celebration of valor, courage and patriotism.
"American Sniper," once pegged for release in late 2015, was moved up to qualify for this
year’s Oscars. After Eastwood’s other 2014 release, "Jersey Boys," struggled in its June
release, totaling $47 million, "American Sniper" — a $58 million co-production between Warner
Bros. and Village Roadshow — was tossed into this year’s Christmas mix.
The remarkable success of "American Sniper," which made $89.5 million over the three-day
weekend, didn’t appear to hurt the business of other releases. The Weinstein Co.’s well-reviewed
animated film "Paddington" opened with an estimated $25.2 million over the four-day weekend.
The Kevin Hart, Josh Gaad comedy "The Wedding Ringer" debuted with $24.5 million for Sony
Pictures.
However, Michael Mann’s cyber-thriller "Blackhat," starring Chris Hemsworth, flopped. Made for
about $70 million by Legendary Pictures for distributor Universal Pictures, "Blackhat" bombed
with just $4.4 million.
In its fourth weekend of release, the civil rights drama "Selma" took in $11.5 million on the
holiday weekend that honors its protagonist, King. The film landed two Oscar nominations on Thursday,
including best picture, but the snubbing of its star, David Oyelowo, and director, Ava DuVernay, drew
widespread outrage.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Monday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak.
Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final
domestic figures will be released Tuesday.
1. "American Sniper," $105.3 million ($6.1 million international).
2. "Paddington," $25.2 million ($4 million international).
3. "The Wedding Ringer," $24.5 million.
4. "Taken 3," $17.4 million ($31.4 million international).
5. "Selma," $11.5 million.
6. "Into the Woods," $8.7 million ($7.3 million international).
7. "The Imitation Game," $8.1 million ($4 million international).
8. "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies," $6 million ($6.1 million international).
9. "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb," $5.1 million ($17.8 million international).
10. "Unbroken," $5 million ($7.3 million international).
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Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and
Canada), according to Rentrak:
1. "Taken 3," $31.4 million.
2. "Seventh Son," $21.7 million.
3. "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb," $17.8 million.
4. "Penguins of Madagascar," $16.3 million.
5. "Exodus: Gods and King," $10.9 million.
6. "Miss Granny," $9 million.
7. "The Theory of Everything," $8 million.
8. "Into the Woods," $7.3 million.
9. "Big Hero 6," $7.2 million.
10. "Ode to My father," $7 million.
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Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems
and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and
Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and
Fox Searchlight are owned by 21st Century Fox; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.;
MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl
Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is
owned by Relativity Media LLC.
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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
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