Clint Eastwood's latest take on war films has soared to the top of the North American box office last week as the "American Sniper' broke records with its four-day debut, approximately raking in $90 million over the weekend.
The film has stirred up mostly positive responses among movie goers as it expands in the United States. It has further gained considerable popularity by bagging six nominations for the Oscars last Thursday, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Bradley Cooper.
Another record-breaking accomplishment for "American Sniper' was its total overhaul of $5.3 million last Thursday night, making the film the highest Thursday night gross of all time for an R-rated drama movie.
Additionally, the war film is expected to become the biggest wide opening of Eastwood's venture of taking on directorial duties. It may also score the highest opening of all time for the month of January. Even advance ticket sales for the movie have reportedly soared to 264 percent last week.
From Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow, the story of "American Sniper' revolves around the real-life story of Chris Kyle, a Navy SEAL from Texas. The $60 million movie made a huge debut last Christmas in four cinemas in Los Angeles, New York and Dallas, raking in $3 million and making record-breaking averages for such areas. The film reportedly caught the attention of a wide range of audiences, such as artists and politically conservative viewers, among others.
Aside from "American Sniper' enjoying a box office win and bagging several Oscar nominations, Sony Pictures has also debuted "Still Alice', the Alzheimer's drama film starring Julianne Moore, in 13 cinemas within Los Angeles, San Francisco, new York, Chicago and Washington, D.C.
Now in its second weekend since it was released nationwide, "Selma' by Ava DuVernay has also nabbed several Oscar nominations which are likely to boost its position in the box office.
Wes Anderson's "The Grand Budapest Hotel' has also been re-released this weekend, tying with "Birdman' for the highest number of Oscar nominations, both from Fox Searchlight.
"The Grand Budapest Hotel' originally debuted last March and has already been made available for various home entertainment platforms. It was released again this month to play in over 17 cities.
Also opening last weekend was the R-rated movie "The Wedding Ringer' starring Kevin Hart, which is expected to rake in $25 million for a four-day period. It may take on the number 2 spot in the box office whereas "Taken 3' starring Liam Neeson is expected to hold on to the third spot.
