American Sniper targets the Box Office with a Huge Shot

American Sniper opened on Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday weekend with a mind-boggling $105.3 million in domestic ticket sales, $89.5 million of this total was generated from the typical 3-day weekend format. This fantastic performance broke box office records for all-time January movie openings. American Sniper opened in wide release in a big way to show that great directing and awesome performances do get noticed in award movies at the box office.

Last week, Bradley Cooper received an Oscar® nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of Navy Seal, Chris Kyle, in American Sniper. Chris Kyle is viewed as the top American sniper in U.S. History, which he wrote a book bearing this same name. In this bestselling book, Kyle detailed personal military and family experiences during his Navy service tours in the Iraq War, as a Veteran, and as a family man. American Sniper a gripping true story of an American soldier who made every shot count - both in the military and in his personal life.

Moviegoers can watch Chris Kyle and his wife Taya Kyle true story play on the silver screen. At $105.3 million in its first weekend in wide release,  millions of movie fans are showing proof of doing this now. American Sniper delivered a rare big performance in war genre movies of this caliber. The last war movie to generate such a huge weekend opening was Pearl Harbor with $75.2 million back in 2001. American Sniper is expected to exceed the $198 million domestic box office of Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor and the $200+ million box office performance of Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan.

American Sniper is based on a true story, though some facts are manipulated/twisted to fit the traditional Hollywood mold. Bradley Cooper is continuing his dominance in leading roles, garnishing Oscar® nominations three years in a row. As usual, Clint Eastwood delivers another fantastic war film, as done in Letters to Iwo Jima and Flags Of Our Fathers. 

American Sniper is making big news at the box office for dismantling its competition. An impressive $105.3 million in ticket sales place American Sniper far ahead of pre-wide release expectations. 

We expect American Sniper to continue its dominance in the box office for weeks to come. A domestic box office take of $300 million is well within sight. With The Oscars® on tap in March, American Sniper is sure to benefit from this award buzz.