Though Scene Music Editor Jeff Niesel wasn’t moved or deeply bestirred by the patriotic allure of Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper, starring an enbeefed Bradley Cooper as superlethal Iraq war sniper Chris Kyle, viewers across America certainly have been.
With a record-breaking second weekend at the box office, Sniper is on pace to become the biggest movie of 2014 — it opened on Christmas Day on the coasts — ahead of franchise cash cows like Mockingjay Pt. 1, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Captain America: Winter Soldier.
Though huge flocks of hunters and cowboys in Texas have predictably descended upon the Cineplexes in Kyle’s homestate, D.C. news outlet The Hill reports that viewers in America’s “heartland” are also fueling the enduring interest.
In a blog post this morning, The Hill reported that audiences in Cleveland, notably, grew by 73 percent.
That’s due, in part, to American Sniper’s wide expansion. Playing at more than 3,700 theaters nationwide, it’s the largest showing ever for an R-rated film.
Via Box Office Mojo, Sniper’s current total haul is $200 million. And with weak competition over the next several weeks, it should coast in the top spot for much of February.
This article appears in Jan 21-27, 2015.
I loved American Sniper, it moved so quickly I barely had time to catch my breath before immersing me back into it’s hypnotic grip. Chris Kyle is not just an ordinary hero but a Superhero to all of America. I am a Veteran and it was so real to life and for a moment I thought I was back in the service again… There is no possible way I can explain how good the movie really is, you just have to go see it to believe it…
Chris Kyle is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I’ve ever known in my life. American Sniper is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful movie I’ve ever seen in my life….and….
I’ve Never Seen a Movie Theater So Quiet at the End of American Sniper.
Hell would freeze over before a rag like Scene would admit that this was a great movie (regardless of your opinions!). That’s the thing about libs, they absolutely cannot get past their bias and just call a spade a spade and judge something on it’s content alone. Ironic isn’t it? Obama could make a cupcake and it would be the tastiest cupcake ever. Chris Christie could make the same damn cupcake and libs would say how horrible it tasted and complain the ingredients weren’t free-trade or organic. Libs always ‘shoot the messenger’ instead of judging the content of the message. They’re the ultimate hypocrites.