Weekend Box Office Report: "American Sniper" Smashes January Record with Blockbuster Debut, "Wedding Ringer" and "Paddington" Also Solid...

Much bigger weekend than anyone anticipated, as it was the biggest Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend on record. Overall business wound up 13% ahead of last year when Ride Along took #1 with a then-record breaking $41 million in 3 days and $48 million in 4 days.


But it was a massive victory for Clint Eastwood and Warner Bros. as American Sniper absolutely smashed the January opening weekend record. For the 3-day weekend alone, the Oscar contender pulled in an unbelievable $90.2 million, for an average of a massive $25,374 from 3,555 locations. Up for 6 Oscars, Sniper claimed the biggest Clint Eastwood opening, the biggest military movie opening ever, and the second-biggest R-rated movie debut ever behind The Matrix Reloaded. It also solidifies Bradley Cooper as one of the most reliable leading actors working right now (his third-straight Oscar nomination for Best Actor will only help more). For the four-day weekend, Sniper could wind up anywhere from $104 million to $110 million (likely towards the middle). With its limited release two weeks ago in mind, the film has earned $93.6 million so far and will become the 33rd pic of 2014 to pass the century mark. Look for this to remain on top for the next two weeks (and hold on well for the following few weeks as we approach the Oscars). Reviews were solid, while audiences gave it a rare "A+" CinemaScore. Warner Bros., who produced it for $60 million, was expecting around $40 million for the four-day weekend.


Debuting in second place, as expected, was Kevin Hart's latest comedy, The Wedding Ringer. Co-starring Josh (Olaf) Gad, the R-rated comedy opened in line with expectations, pulling in $21 million for the 3-day weekend, and should hit $25 million for the extended frame. Ringer averaged a good $6,993 from 3,003 locations. That's only just over half of Hart's Ride Along from last January, but that one carried a PG-13 rating, so its really not a fair comparison by all means. Ringer did manage to come close to About Last Night's $25.6 million 3-day start last February. Despite generally negative reviews (33% on Rotten Tomatoes), the CinemaScore was a solid "A-". Look for this to play well through the rest of the month, but it won't be a huge hit. Distributor Sony produced it for $23 million, and they were hoping for a low-to-mid-20 millions 4-day start.


Debuting in third place (though probably will move up to second place over the four-day stretch) with very solid results was the first family movie of 2015, Paddington. The CGI/live-action flick pulled in $19.3 million over the three-day weekend, for a per-venue average of a decent $5,839 from 3,003 locations. Paddington opened exactly the same as The Nut Job, which ended up with $25.7 million in four days. Its likely Paddington will hit that number with kids off school Monday. This is a major victory for The Weinstein Company, who has struggled with family films in the last several years. Chalk it up to moving this movie away from the crowded Christmas season and getting fantastic reviews (an astounding 98% on Rotten Tomatoes). Next week will bring some competition from Disney/Lucasfilm's Strange Magic, but that one isn't expected to make nearly as much of a splash. An "A" CinemaScore in addition to the great reviews should carry Paddington through the next few weeks. Weinstein was hoping for high-teens over the extended weekend, and produced this for $55 million. Overseas, the movie has already earned over $120 million, a lot of it from England.


Following a strong start last weekend, word-of-mouth caught up with Taken 3, which had the floor fall out from underneath it. Liam Neeson's final installment of his signature franchise fell 64% to $14.1 million, and should earn $16.5 million through Monday. Through its 10th day, the action thriller has picked up $62.8 million. Unless it stabilizes from here, $100 million now might seem like a stretch for this. If it misses the mark, it will be one of the most front-loaded performances for a movie opening to around $40 million or more.

Many hoped Selma would bounce back after getting a predicted several Oscar nominations. But alas, it only wound up with two (Best Picture and Best Song only) and instead, fell 27% to $8.3 million over the 3-day frame. With Martin Luther King, Jr. Day tomorrow, this should increase a little on Monday to come close to its opening weekend over the four-day frame ($11.2 million). Selma is at $26 million in 24 days and should stabilize more from here.

Holding the sixth spot and with 8 Oscar nominations (including Best Picture) is The Imitation Game, which was basically flat with last weekend with $7.2 million (likely $9 million over the four-day frame), and adding 45 more locations. Game is at a very strong $50.8 million in 56 days and will likely remain in this list for a few more weeks (perhaps even until Oscar night).

With 3 Oscar nominations (including a Best Supporting Actress nod for Meryl Streep), Into the Woods stabilized, off 32% to $6,5 million despite sliding to seventh place. Woods should clock in around $8.5 million for the extended frame and has earned a very solid $114.3 million in 25 days. In the end, Woods should race past previous Disney live-action musical Enchanted, which ended up with $125 million at the end of its run.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies fell 48% to $4.9 million, and is at $244.5 million in one month of release. Armies should end up around $6.5 million for the extended frame and is now running neck-and-neck with The Desolation of Smaug. If it doesn't stabilize late in its run, the final Hobbit might wind up Middle Earth's lowest-grossing entry.

Unbroken felt the brunt of American Sniper. Despite 3 technical nominations at the Oscars, Angelina Jolie's war pic fell 48% to $4.3 million, and an expected $5.5 million by Monday. Still though, despite mixed reception, the Louis Zamperini biopic has still earned a solid $108.6 million in 25 days and should at least approach $120 million.


The final new release flopped due to a too-crowded marketplace. Cyber-thriller Blackhat, which only managed a $4 million debut in 10th place, for a per-venue average of an anemic $1,570 from 2,567 locations. Universal was hoping the news of the Sony hack would ignite interest for this Chris Hemsworth (Thor) pic. But, the overwhelming interest for American Sniper took its toll on this. With generally negative reviews (32% on Rotten Tomatoes) and a "C-" CinemaScore, this will likely fade from theaters fast. Blackhat should pull in around $5 million for the four-day period. Universal, which produced this for a pricey $70 million, was hoping for at least $10 million for the four days.

Both Blackhat and possibly Unbroken will likely be beaten by Night at the Museum 3: Secret of the Tomb for the four-day period, which fell 43% to $3.8 million over the three-day and will probably hit $5.5 million for the four-day stretch. The third and final entry of the family franchise fell a little hard due to Paddington's arrival, and is at a decent, though unspectacular $104.8 million in one month of release.