‘American Sniper’ Makes History With $105.3M Debut

Since 9/11 the U.S. has been entrenched in endless wars in the middle east – from Afghanistan to Iraq, from Libya to Syria. And if weekend box office results are any indication the American public has yet to tire of the horrors these conflicts have wrought on soldier, sniper and family alike. Despite extremely difficult, graphic content and a R-rating American Sniper, Warner Brother’s bio-pic about decorated Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle starring Bradley Cooper, hauled in $105.3 million over the weekend – breaking records.


According to the Hollywood Reporter,

Clint Eastwood‘s American Sniper opened to a historic $105.3 million over the long Martin Luther King Jr. weekend in North America, shattering numerous records, boosting its Oscar profile and forever changing the way Hollywood studios view the sleepy month of January.

American Sniper marks the biggest launch ever for a non-tentpole Hollywood title, as well as for a movie opening in January — much less an R-rated modern-day war film (the previous best for a drama was The Passion of the Christ with $83.8 million). And the film’s three-day haul of $89.5 million marks the No. 2 debut for an R-rated film after The Matrix: Reloaded ($91.8 million), not accounting for inflation.

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