Movies
Box Office Recap: ‘American Sniper’ Wins Super Bowl Weekend
American Sniper wins the box office for its third weekend at the box office!
Clint Eastwood’s film about Navy SEAL sharpshooter Chris Kyle took in an additional $31.9 million for a total domestic box office of $249 million, according to studio estimates. It overtook 2008’s Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, the previous Super Bowl high earner with $31.1 million.
“This is still the movie that everyone is talking about. It has really struck a national chord in a profound way,” says Paul Dergarabedian, box office analyst for Rentrak. “Even on Super Bowl weekend, American Sniper continues to draw audiences in big numbers.”
The R-rated film has officially become the highest box office earner for a war movie, beating Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, which took in $216.5 million in 1998. American Sniper has collected six Oscar nominations, including best picture and best actor for Bradley Cooper.
Holdover Paddington thrived at the box office in its third weekend, as well, taking in an additional $8.505 million and landing in second. The family feature has collected $50.5 million to date.
“It’s a very strong showing. It’s got great word of mouth,” says Phil Contrino, analyst for BoxOffice.com. “And family films tend to last longer at the box office when they connect.”
Newcomer Project Almanac ran closely behind the beloved bear, taking the third spot at the box office with $8.5 million. The found-footage thriller, produced by Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes, earned a B CinemaScore. It follows a brilliant high school student and his friends as they uncover blueprints for a mysterious device that allows them to time travel.
Project Almanac stars Jonny Weston, Sofia Black-D’Elia, Sam Lerner, Allen Evangelista and Virginia Gardner.
Another weekend newcomer was Mike Bijnder’s racially charged drama Black or White. The A minus CinemaScore film, starring Kevin Costner and Octavia Spencer, landed in fourth place with an estimated $6.5 million for domestic debut.
Black or White chronicles a bitter custody fight that ensues when a child’s African-American grandmother (Spencer) insists that the child be raised by her son, the girl’s father, and not by Costner’s character, her maternal grandfather.
The third weekend newcomer, The Loft, debuted to tenth place with $2.9 million and a B minus CinemaScore. The $14 million thriller is an English-language remake of director Erik Van Looy’s Dutch film, which tells the story of five men who share a penthouse used for extramarital affairs. It stars James Marsden, Karl Urban, and brings back Matthias Schoenaerts, who reprises his role from the original 2008 film.
Universal holdover The Boy Next Door, starring Jennifer Lopez, rounds out the top five in its second weekend with an estimated $6.1 million.
Top 10 Films at Weekend Box Office: January 30 – February 1
- American Sniper – $31.9 million
- Paddington – $8.505 million
- Project Almanac – $8.5 million
- Black or White – $6.5 million
- The Boy Next Door – $6.1 million
- The Wedding Ringer – $5.7 million
- The Imitation Game – $5.2 million
- Taken 3 – $7.6 million
- Strange Magic –$3.7 million
- The Loft – $2.9 million