'American Sniper' rules weekend box office again
Clint Eastwood's American Sniper continued to dominate the box office for the second weekend in a row, easily topping the field with $64.4 million, according to studio estimates.
The R-rated drama about Navy SEAL Chris Kyle set a January box office record last weekend, earning $89.3 million in three days of wide release.
It now has a $200 million domestic total, along with six Oscar nominations (including best picture and best actor for Bradley Cooper).
"It's pretty amazing. This is a movie that has become part of the cultural discussion and discourse. It has controversy as well, which is helping to propel the conversation," says Paul Dergarabedian, senior analyst for Rentrak. "It's rare for a movie to be on the forefront of serious discussions and a popular cultural event. But American Sniper has done it."
Sniper beat out a field crowded with A-list names. Jennifer Lopez took second place with her action thriller The Boy Next Door, which brought in $15 million in its debut weekend.
The R-rated film managed to turn in an impressive box office tally despite scathing reviews from critics, who gave it a 13% approval rating on RottenTomatoes.com. Audiences gave it a B-minus on CinemaScore.
Meanwhile Johnny Depp's art-heist comedy Mortdecai came in stiff in its opening weekend with a lowly $4.1 million, failing to break into the top five films. The box office flop follows recent Depp disappointments such as 2014's Transcendence and 2013's The Lone Ranger.
"Star power is only going to get you so far — it all comes down to the projects you pick," says Phil Contrino, analyst for BoxOffice.com. "Johnny Depp has picked some recent projects that were a little too quirky. And he hasn't connected in the way he is capable of connecting as an A-list actor."
Mortdecai, also starring Gwyneth Paltrow, tanked with critics, earning a 12% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The few moviegoers who did see it gave the movie a lowly C-plus on CinemaScore.
The limited release of Cake, starring Jennifer Aniston, made waves in 482 theaters. It earned $1 million for the weekend.
Paddington, the family film based on the beloved children's book, took third place with $12.4 million in its second weekend for a total of $40 million.
Sony's R-rated raunchy wedding comedy The Wedding Ringer, with Josh Gad and Kevin Hart, took in an additional $11.6 million in its second weekend, good for fourth and a total $39.7 million.
Liam Neeson's return as ex-CIA operative Bryan Mills in Taken 3 managed to stay in the top five with $7.6 million in its third weekend. The final film in the Taken franchise has made $76 million to date.
Final numbers are expected Monday.