The Iraq War movie “American Sniper” is heading for a patriotism-fueled $35 million nationwide opening one week from Friday, according to pre-release tracking. And the Clint Eastwood-directed drama starring Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller will bring some real box-office ammo if it hits the mark at the Oscar nominations a day earlier.
It has sizzled in its limited rollout. Debuting on Christmas Day in four theaters, it posted one of the best limited openings of 2014 with $633,456, a strong $158,364 per-screen average. It did even better in its second weekend with $676,909, a $169,227 average.
Village Roadshow’s R-rated “American Sniper” was adapted by Jason Dean Hall from Chris Kyle’s autobiography of the same name, and follows his struggles to be a good father and husband while fighting in Iraq.
The critics are sold and the movie is currently enjoying a 74 percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences were even more impressed, and gave it a rare “A+” CinemaScore.
The film’s setting and patriotic themes have the potential to strike a major chord with Heartland and military audiences, and the studio’s marketing team will look to build on that.
Last year, Universal’s Afghan war drama “Lone Survivor” did just that and opened to $37.8 million in January after a similar Oscar-qualifying limited run in December. It went on to gross more than $125 million domestically. It won for Sound Editing and Mixing, but was otherwise passed over at the Academy Awards..
“American Sniper” has an A-list director in Eastwood. Cooper, who is currently the hottest ticket on Broadway in “The Elephant Man,” didn’t receive a Best Actor nomination from the Golden Globes or SAG Awards, but Oscar voters may tend to differ.
While it’s not one of the frontrunners, “Sniper’s” Producers Guild nomination is a sign that it’s a strong contender for an Oscar Best Picture slot. It was also nominated by the American Cinema Editors and the Art Directors Guild, which shows that it has below-the-line support.
Golden Globes 2015: The Nominees (Photos)
Best Motion Picture -- Drama: "Boyhood" (pictured), "Foxcatcher," "The Imitation Game," "Selma," "The Theory of Everything"
Best Director -- Motion Picture: Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"; Eva DuVernay, "Selma"; David Fincher, "Gone Girl"; Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu, "Birdman"; Richard Linklater (pictured), "Boyhood"
Best Screenplay -- Motion Picture: Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"; Gillian Flynn (pictured), "Gone Girl"; Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone,Alexander Dinelaris & Armando Bo, "Birdman"; Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"; Graham Moore, "The Imitation Game"
Best Performances by an Actor in a Motion Picture -- Drama: Steve Carell, "Foxcatcher"; Benedict Cumberbatch, "The Imitation Game"; Jake Gyllenhaal, "Nightcrawler"; David Oyelowo (pictured), "Selma"; Eddie Redmayne, "The Theory of Everything"
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama: Jennifer Aniston (pictured), "Cake"; Felicity Jones, "The Theory of Everything"; Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"; Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl"; Reese Witherspoon, "Wild"
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture: Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood"; Jessica Chastain (pictured), "A Most Violent Year"; Keira Knightley, "The Imitation Game"; Emma Stone, "Birdman"; Meryl Streep, "Into the Woods"
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture: Robert Duvall, "The Judge"; Ethan Hawke, "Boyhood"; Edward Norton, "Birdman"; Mark Ruffalo (pictured), "Foxcatcher"; J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"
Best Motion Picture -- Comedy or Musical: "Birdman" (pictured), "The Grand Budapest Hotel," "Into the Woods," "Pride," "St. Vincent"
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical: Ray Fiennes, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"; Michael Keaton, "Birdman"; Bill Murray (pictured), "St. Vincent"; Joaquin Phoenix, "Inherent Vice"; Christoph Waltz, "Big Eyes"
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture -- Comedy or Musical: Amy Adams (pictured), "Big Eyes"; Emily Blunt, "Into the Woods"; Helen Mirren, "The Hundred-Foot Journey"; Julianne Moore, "Maps to the Stars"; Quvenzhané Wallis, "Annie"
Best Animated Feature: “Big Hero 6," "Book of Life," "Boxtrolls," "How to Train Your Dragon 2," "The Lego Movie" (pictured)
Best Foreign Language Film: "Force Majeure Turist" (Sweden), "Gett: The Trival of Viviane" (Israel), "Ida" (Poland/Denmark), "Leviathan" (Russia, pictured), "Tangerines" (Estonia)
Best Original Song – Motion Picture: “Big Eyes” – “Big Eyes”; “Glory” – “Selma”; “Mercy Is” – “Noah”; “Opportunity” – “Annie”; “Yellow Flicker Beat” – “The Hunger Games, Mockingjay – Part 1” (pictured)
Best Original Score – Motion Picture: Alexander Desplat, “The Imitation Game”; Yohan Yohanson, “The Theory of Everything”; Trent Reznor (pictured), “Gone Girl”; Anthoy Sanchez, “Birdman”; Hans Zimmer, “Interstellar”
Best Television Series -- Drama: "The Affair," "Downton Abbey," "Game of Thrones," "The Good Wife," House of Cards" (pictured)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series -- Drama: Claire Danes, "Homeland"; Viola Davis (pictured), "How to Get Away with Murder"; Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife"; Ruth Wilson, "The Affair"; Robin Wright, "House of Cards"
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series -- Drama: Clive Owen, "The Knick"; Liev Schreider, "Ray Donovan"; Kevin Spacey, "House of Cards"; James Spader, "The Blacklist"; Dominic West (pictured), "The Affair"
Best Television Series -- Comedy or Musical: "Girls," "Transparent" (pictured) "Jane the Virgin," "Orange Is the New Black," "Silicon Valley"
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series -- Comedy or Musical: Lena Dunham, "Girls"; Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie"; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Veep"; Gina Rodriguez (pictured), "Jane the Virgin"; Taylor Schilling, "Orange Is the New Black"
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series -- Comedy or Musical: Louis C.K., "Louie"; Don Cheadle (pictured), "House of Lies"; Ricky Gervais, "Derek"; William H. Macy, "Shameless"; Jeffrey Tambor, "Transparent"
Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: "Fargo," "The Missing," "The Normal Heart," "True Detective" (pictured), "Olive Kitteridge"
Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Maggie Gyllenhaal (pictured), "The Honorable Woman"; Jessica Lange, "American Horror Story: Freak Show," Frances McDormand, "Olive Kitteridge"; Frances O'Connor, "The Missing"; Allison Tolman, "Fargo"
Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Martin Freeman (pictured), "Fargo"; Woody Harrelson, "True Detective"; Matthew McConaughey, "True Detective"; Mark Ruffalo, "The Normal Heart"; Billy Bob Thornton, "Fargo"
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Uzo Aduba (pictured), "Orange Is the New Black"; Kathy Bates, "American Horror Story: Freak Show"; Joanne Froggatt, "Downton Abbey"; Allison Janney, "Mom"; Michelle Monaghan, "True Detective"
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Matt Bomer (pictured), "The Normal Heart"; Alan Cumming, "The Good Wife"; Colin Hanks, "Fargo"; Bill Murray, "Olive Kitteridge"; Jon Voight, "Ray Donovan"
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Take a look at the stars who might be accepting a Golden Globe when the annual ceremony thrown by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association airs on Jan. 11
Best Motion Picture -- Drama: "Boyhood" (pictured), "Foxcatcher," "The Imitation Game," "Selma," "The Theory of Everything"