Clint Eastwood's AMERICAN SNIPER expanded its release nationwide for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, and it seems to have paid off with a record-breaking $105.3 million take which shattered January box office records. American audiences were feeling patriotic this weekend on the heels of its Oscar nomination for Best Picture and Best Actor for Bradley Cooper.
It seems the first superhero blockbuster film of 2015 is not based on a comic book character rather on the real-life story of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle who was called the most deadliest sniper in history. January is usually considered a slow month for films, and the dumping ground for so-so movies, but AMERICAN SNIPER may have changed how the industry looks at the first month of the year. The film also broke the single-day record for a January opening with $30 million, surpassing Avatar's single-day opening of $25.8. AMERICAN SNIPER first began its box office domination when it was released in only four theaters during the Christmas holiday earning a record-breaking $1.04 million in five days for a limited release with a theater average of $260,000.
The pro-military war film is also performing well overseas with $25.4 million overseas, which is not typical of an American story.
Domestically, AMERICAN SNIPER has already taken in $108.7 since its release, and poised to do more with the six nominations it received for the Academy Awards. For Bradley Cooper, his nomination as Best Actor also marks his third consecutive run for an Oscar, which only a few actors have done.
