(Photo courtesy of IMDB)
After a successful limited release run, critics expected Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper to have a good opening in its first week of full release, but no one expected the record-breaking numbers the war drama achieved.
Thanks in part to heavy Oscar buzz, Sniper, which stars Bradley Cooper as real-life sniper Chris Kyle, brought in a January opening record of $90 million. The previous record holder for a January opening was the Kevin Hart/Ice Cube buddy film, Ride Along, which opened at $41 million. In a twist of fate, Hart’s latest buddy flick, The Wedding Ringer opened with $21 million to come in second place. Coming in third this week with $19 million was Paddington, the film adaptation of the popular children’s book. Last week’s No.1 film, Taken 3, fell to number four with $14 million and Ava DuVernay’s Selma rounded out the top five with $8.3 million earned.
For the full weekend top 10, check out the list below.
1. American Sniper – $90M
2. The Wedding Ringer – $21M
3. Paddington – $19.2M
4. Taken 3 – $14M
5. Selma – $8.3M
6. The Imitation Game – $7.1M
7. Into the Woods – $6.5M
8. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – $4.8M
9. Unbroken – $4.2M
10. Blackhat – $4M
