Box Office: American Sniper Towers Above Oscar Nominees
Monday, January 19, 2015 at 1:30PM Amir here, back from my very long vacation to hit you with some box office news. Did you know that this group of eight Best Pictures is the least popular set of nominees since the turn of the century, going by box office receipts? The average gross of about $39m is the lowest of the past fifteen years, though it will probably edge out 2005’s collective (standing at $49m) once the theatrical run of all these films ends. It is also the first time since that year that none of the nominees have hit the $100m mark, though American Sniper is about to change that.
Chart via Box Office Mojo. Estimates as of Sunday January 18th
It is easy to forget sometimes what a small bubble we occupy in the film blogosphere, and how differently people in the real world perceive and consume these films. It feels like Whiplash has been around for ages, having first entered the conversation all the way back in January. It’s shocking to see what little impact this expertly directed film has made at the box office, barely edging out Amour and Winter’s Bone to avoid becoming the lowest grossing best picture nominee of the century.
Oscar wasn’t interested in what people liked this year, despite finally getting on the Wes Anderson bandwagon for his biggest hit – and a decade too late. Several of the year’s biggest hits either missed out on nominations entirely, or underperformed with the Academy. File Gone Girl, Noah, The LEGO Movie, Edge of Tomorrow and even Fury under that category, though only one of those had any hope of a best picture nomination. What has been surprising is that Eastwood’s late party-crasher performed as well as it did, breaking all sorts of records for January releases and R-rated films, grossing $90m on its first wide weekend.
American Sniper is going to be the savior of this collective, financially speaking. According to Box Office Mojo, the film has made more than Birdman, Boyhood, Whiplash and The Theory of Everything combined. Its gross this weekend is wildly beyond expectations, but the magical combination of Bradley Cooper, conservative material and Eastwood in his comfort zone have totally hit America’s sweet spot. This caps an outstanding year for Cooper, who just netted his third consecutive best actor nomination and starred in the year’s biggest box office hit, Guardians of the Galaxy. You’d have been called a lunatic if you predicted this as recently as three years ago and yet, here we are, witnessing Cooper’s reign. And for what it’s worth, he’s a better king for Hollywood than most of his contemporaries.
Have you seen American Sniper? Which gaps do you still need to fill in your Oscar slate?
Reader Comments (49)
I have. And (sigh) how can ANYONE defend it? The aesthetic palate is too grey for anyone intelligent to perceive it as conservative, but it's not critical enough (ESPECIALLY in text blurbing that ending) for anyone intelligent to perceive it as not conservative. Basically, I read American Sniper as a centrist nothing more than I do a conservative piece.
For all the griping that comes along about how annoying it is that studios release all the prestige movies at the end of the year, Whiplash's mediocre box office is a big reason why they don't tend to release movies like that earlier in the year. If Whiplash were just starting to platform now and get a wider release, you can guarantee it would have probably made more than its entire box office take this one weekend because of all the awards attention. On the other hand, had Whiplash not entered its hat into the ring as early as it did, it might have got lost in the end of the year shuffle (although its unlikely because JK Simmons would have kept attention on it).
I saw American Sniper. It's a kind of film that got under my skin but I also found a lot of virtues in it. It's pro-soldier, no doubt, but there are moments where the bigger picture beyond the combat and grind of soldiers is met with skepticism, like the contractors and the guys who run on conflict resolution Ph. Ds. My dad was a West Pointer and veteran, so those things stuck out. Eastwood made a solid actioner out of Jason Dean Hall's script and my takeaway is the script made Kyle a fictional character and that is what I am seeing on-screen, not 'OMG so realistic and so like the real dude' kind of brownie points we get with biopics. Anyway, I can definitely understand people's issues with the film, but Cooper is so excellent. Easily the best of the Best Actor nominees and his best performance to date. His naturalism, specifically in this kind of film, is so striking. Haven't yet seen Cotillard in Two Days, One Night, but the performance made me think of actors in Dardenne films and Bresson. Still, those who are disturbed or bother by the film, I completely understand. It is not a perfect film by any stretch and has rough patches, but I saw it as delicate character study at its center.
Cooper could still take it,v pleased with his rise to the top.
This isn't Cooper's third consecutive Best Actor nomination. Last year he was up for supporting.
I almost hate to suggest it, but are we now facing a "Selma" vs "Sniper" Best Picture race, one that the press will consistently flatten into terms of liberal vs conservative? That sounds exhausting.
mark: At this point, we know he'll win eventually (see also: DiCaprio), but it's NOT happening this year. Maybe Supporting Actor next year for Joy, if he's in it.
I"m only missing three of the eight. Sniper, Selma and Whiplash (which came and went so fast, no one saw it). I'm hoping to catch Selma this week but I need to finish my SAG screenings first.
CMG, I just saw the movie, and I agree with most of your post. I'm not sure why some are decrying American Sniper as propaganda. I saw it mostly as a riveting character study, with the graphic depiction of war and its effects so heinous nobody could call this a flag-waving, pro-military polemic. If anything, it's saying that even if violence is inevitable, so is its corrosive nature on humanity. Anyone misinterpreting Eastwood's message as "gung-ho, America love it or leave it," need only see that last sequence. That final expertly done battle setpiece in the sandstorm serves as an obvious but still brilliant metaphor: Righteousness has lost its way. I'm sure that hawkish types will twist what they will to whatever proves their point, but Eastwood's POV is much more complicated and has been for a while (see Million Dollar Baby and Gran Torino).
I'm blown away by this debut for Sniper. I didn't think it would be THAT big. I thought Gone Girl was going to end up being the zeitgeist movie of 2014, but it looks like in the nick of time, American Sniper is the one everyone will be talking about. A few spoilers ahead in case anyone hasn't seen the film.
I've seen the film and thought it was good, sometimes great, probably not best picture worthy, but a return to form for Eastwood, who I'm a big fan of, and who hasn't made an interesting film in my view since Gran Torino.
Cooper is great, and I was surprised by how quietly subtle the performance is. No overacting. No Oscar scenes. Just inhabiting the character.
The drill scene and the sandstorm scene stand out, as does the scene in which Cooper's character nearly freaks out at a family picnic. There's also a quietly disturbing moment involving a television, and I thought this was a creative way to convey PTSD.
What I'm most surprised by, however, is the film's point of view. I don't get a pro-war, pro-gun vibe from this at all. In fact, I thought it was blatantly a war-is-hell film, and shows the destruction war has on soldiers and their families. It may be pro-soldier in the sense that the message of the film is that we should take care of those who fight for the country, but that seems more of a humane message than a liberal/conservative message. What person in their right mind WOULDN'T want to take care of soldiers, regardless of whether or not the wars they fight are justified?
It may be fair to say that the film portrays Kyle as more "likable" than he was in real life, given some of the insensitive things he has written/said. What baffles me, however, is that most critics take it a step further and claim that Eastwood/Cooper are supporting Kyle's worldview simply by telling his story on film. That Eastwood/Cooper are presenting a pro-gun, pro-war movie simply because Kyle himself was pro-gun and pro-war.
This seems absurd to me. The film surely wants us to sympathize with the soldier's plight, but at times, it also depicts Kyle as a man who is so idealistic that the truth becomes distorted. Even after those around him are dying and falling apart, and his wife tells him that he is in over his head, he maintains his worldview. It is only toward the end when he reaches his breaking point and realizes he can serve his country in other ways off the battlefield.
The film is well-made, and definitely more complex and nuanced than certain people are making it. If you're one of those people who are worried about its politics, this film is humane and politically responsible in my view.
"I almost hate to suggest it, but are we now facing a "Selma" vs "Sniper" Best Picture race, one that the press will consistently flatten into terms of liberal vs conservative? That sounds exhausting."
And kinda reductive, but it is surely happening as of right now.
Boyhood, which has gotten some critical finger wagging for being too white, too sculpted in privilege (there are points to be made but the film's unpretentious quality despite its conceit makes me shrug it off), and what not is perhaps helped by the fact the heat it has gotten has been by people who are now zoning in on American Sniper. But WB can handle that kind of blowback, much like they did with Argo. It will probably cycle out by Oscar night.
I think the American Sniper analogue is The Pianist. Now that had a Director nomination (and won) but its late surge with an outlier Best Actor nominee (Brody, a first-timer in a field of winners and here Cooper, only returning nominee in a field of first-timers) and being a near one-man show character study with bait-y subject matter (Holocaust and war pictures) helped it be a spoiler in many categories, including Adapted Screenplay. I wouldn't be shocked if it pulled off sound categories, with Screenplay, and potentially Actor. Still a ways to go, but Cooper is in uncharted territory as a nominee with no precursors but he is a movie star; a leading man with incredible box office. Keaton's a great story and the role is ostensibly something actors gravitate toward, but Cooper has the transformative role that requires way more that has ever been asked of him before and succeeds. I think he can win.
'"...are we now facing a 'Selma' vs 'Sniper' Best Picture race..."
I hope not, and I think Weinstein, IFC and Fox Searchlight would beg to differ.
The only regrettable thing is that if the film came out a bit earlier or Oscar nominating was pushed back, Sienna Miller probably would've snuck into Best Supporting Actress and that would've been amazing.
Sniper really is pretty good film in my opinion. And if you watch it again it isn't as conservative as you would believe. There are constant hints at the frustration against the iraq war. And I thought it was a nice touch that the war seems to be more dangerous with each consecutive tour. The thing that really irritates me about people bashing the film is that comes from scorn that Selma is not successful. And i for one think Selma is the far better film, but cause it doesn't do well doesn't mean I have to hate a film that came out on top. I've seen a lot of people end their sniper reviews telling people to see selma instead. One does not have to do with the other. And everyone thinks Clint has an agenda with this one, ironically the conservative ideals that Kyle believed are not what Eastwood personally feels. He was ALWAYS against the iraq war early on and has come out for gun control multiple times. And Cooper is a known liberal. So i think it is fair to take this film as character study and be thankful for the dialogue it produced. It is not in my top ten of the year but it is the one film I can't stop thinking about. Ive had to see two more times even to get my head around it. I notice there is a very peripheral view with Kyle in the film but his environment is always at odds with him. Its more nuanced than i first believed.
Why are people saying Selma did not do well? A historical biopic without bankable stars opening to $10 million in January and $11 million the next Hollywood weekend is pretty good. And it's already made more at the box office than it cost to make. I don't like this thing i'm getting from the internet.
Sniper's oversized success does not mean that other movies with a more modest ROI are failing.
Of all the movies nominated for the 19 easiest categories to see (that is: everything except the shorts, documentaries and Foreign Film), I've only missed Mr. Turner, Beyond the Lights, Glen Campbell... I'll Be Me and Song of the Sea. I plan to see the foreign nominees (I've seen Ida) but they're only opening next month where I live.
That is by far the earliest in a year that I've seen so many nominated movies. I may be a full completist this year for the first time ever!
I have seen all but American Sniper, which I have no interest in seeing. I'm not often fond of Eastwood's films nor Cooper's acting/star presence and the subject matter is not something I wish to revisit at the moment. Any movie about the Iraq war will bring up the same arguments on both sides, so it's more like same-old controversy. Whether there is propaganda in the movie or not, it feels like a sad coincidence that it's released on MLK's holiday weekend. More than anything, its success informs us that there's nothing surprising about the Academy rejecting diversity when it's simply mirroring America. In a sense, the superhero opening suggests the superhero fan base has now finally reached the age to watch R Rated movies. What is American Sniper if not a movie version of all those war/first-person video games?
Bia-the thought that Sienna Miller's really tragically underwritten and in my opinion one-note performance in American Sniper could have trumped something as beautiful as what Laura Dern is doing in Wild-shudder. I know you're a fan of hers, but I don't get the love for her work here at all.
Like a lot of people, I hit Sniper, and I also hit Selma, Winter Sleep, and finally finished Belle on DVD. Sniper I didn't find as offensive others, but it lacks a proper POV and tries desperately to be both Lone Survivor and The Hurt Locker at once, and can't really compare to either. Belle was better than I expected-a swift period drama unlike what you usually get these days. Selma was wonderfully directed, though the acting felt a little flat. And Winter Sleep was ridiculously long, utterly fascinating and very observant, but on occasion it felt like doing my homework rather than watching a movie.
Nathaniel: your right the selma not doing well thing is from the internet. Im not so sure about the box office. But I'm really referring to oscar snubs for the film. I've read a lot of people walking into sniper wanting to hate it without really giving it a chance. And they come out screaming it's slander and I can't but read it at as revenge on the Selma snub. Its not everyone but a lot of those critics or commentators are around. I'm just starting to find it annoying that these movies are pitted against each other in a political way and maybe if we didn't compare them we might be able to take the message of each individual film more authentically. I don't know if I'm making sense but i guess I just wanted to vent lol. Sometimes I suck at expressing my opinion in written form.
Josh, you expressed yourself beautifully and I totally agree.
Thank you brookesboy. Really appreciate it. I wanted to make sure i wasn't coming off as an asshole.
Into the Woods is almost at 140 million.....
Nathaniel: The magnitude and ferocity of the "Selma snubbed" response is not showing in support for the film at the BO regardless of hard numbers re production cost.
When Hoop Dreams was snubbed for best doc (it received an editing nom), the result was to more than double its BO in the next 5 weeks over the previous 3 months since release. Selma, with a similar outrage, is not getting the same boost and there has not been a film since HD with a similar outcry until Selma . (HD had better critical response. Siskel and Ebert named it the best film of the year and the best film of the American experience they had seen.) If there is a difference in outrage, it is that the internet was not as prominent and easy in '94 as it is now.
Both films received national coverage of the snubbing and Selma is much easier to see as it is in far more theaters than HD ever managed. It should be doing better at the BO for so many reasons but especially because so many are claiming to be upset.
Jamie: Not nominated for Best Picture. Compared to American Sniper, though, probably should have been. Or Gone Girl.
I agree with Henry. The Selma box office is fine, but with all the outrage over the snub and discussions about diversity within the industry, you'd think people would show up in droves to send a message and support the film and what it represents.
Love how the sniper tells his 6 year old son to "take care of the women."
Or how about the jab at gay marriage/relationships/gender roles - "...as long as he does the cooking and cleaning..."
The repeated use of the word "savages." Why was that word necessary?
The soldier who does not believe in god is made to look unstable.
All of the above were unnecessary phrases or key words that appeal to the Faux News fans this shoot 'em up piece of propaganda is being marketed to.
Clint, it is time to go with some dignity and perhaps talk to a piece of furniture.
Jamie -- actually it's still under $120. I had thought it was going to be bigger than this but seems to be slowing down. its' opening weekend numbers suggested it could rival Chicago ($170) but that's looking out of reach now unless it can magically hold on to all of its theaters. It's still got a ways to go to beat Mamma Mia ($144 million) or Les Miz ($148)
I saw American Sniper with a full house on Saturday. I thought it was okay. I was surprised with how similar the structure was to The Hurt Locker, but, Cooper's performance aside, I wasn't nearly as impressed. I was bit surprised at some of the criticisms being aimed at the film. I don't think it's nearly as politically complex as it could've been, but I felt whatever agenda it held was directly from the POV of the lead character, so I could accept it. It's a solid directing job from Eastwood, but it would've been interesting to see what a director with a a viewpoint less aligned with the lead character may have done with the material.
I saw Selma today, and that one is the stunner in my book. The movie is beautifully shot and directed, making the misses at Director and cinematography nods especially unfortunate. I thought the acting was also amazing, with no one attempting to go for myth making heights (even though Oyelowo does a wonderful job with the sermons), but portraying these ordinary folks pushed to something extraordinary. Seeing the movie, I understood some of the concerns with the portrayal of LBJ's politics, but films lands that character and those politics at a place where any dramatic licenses taken pay off (the final scene with George Wallace killed it with another full house). Should be the easy frontrunner for Best Picture in my book, but if nothing else, everyone should be waiting in great anticipation of whatever DuVernay does next.
I saw "Birdman" and yes Michael Keaton is brilliant but I did not like the movie.
Jaragon: I felt much the same (I think it's a good film, but several others are better and GBH beats it by a mile). I liked all the performances, but I just wanted the camera to stop and hold still for a minute.
Whoops- looking at worldwide gross not just domestic
I've seen all the BP nominees, but am desperately scrounging to see Tangerines (from down in the foreign ghetto) before the Oscar ceremony. If anybody knows of any release date or screenings in the NYC area, I'd be much appreciative.
(It'd also be nice to see Wild Tales before February 20th, but I can live with that date at least.)
As far as the paltry box office performance of most of the nominees, I actually don't care. I want the Oscars to be relevant with the viewing public, but not if that means nominating the mediocre films that are the highest-grossing films of the year. The Oscars are about quality first and foremost, even if there are some questionable decisions now and then. If the public is more charmed by superhero battles and car chases and animated shenanigans than by thought-provoking cinema, then the public's opinion can be left out of the conversation. Give back to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's.
Or summat.
"Love how the sniper tells his 6 year old son to "take care of the women."
Or how about the jab at gay marriage/relationships/gender roles - "...as long as he does the cooking and cleaning..."
The repeated use of the word "savages." Why was that word necessary?
The soldier who does not believe in god is made to look unstable.
All of the above were unnecessary phrases or key words that appeal to the Faux News fans this shoot 'em up piece of propaganda is being marketed to.
Clint, it is time to go with some dignity and perhaps talk to a piece of furniture."
Patryk, 'take care of the women', even directed at little boys, is just how many people talk.
Frankly, I am glad such language was used. Soldiers/sailors/airmen/Marines being casually homophobic to the point of that shrugging it off as a joke- which was what that soldier was doing- is pretty par of course. When I still had a facebook, my friends who joined the military often had that rapport, even in good nature, with their brethren.
And Kyle's casual racism is something that has to be included because he did say and believe those things. Considering the film is facing criticisms of painting 'too pretty' of a picture of Chris Kyle, those phrases did come from him. It colors his character, certainly. But I'm glad it is there even if his own dehumanizing language is troubling.
I don't even remember besides Kyle who had faith and who didn't. I felt for a lot of them, the brother, especially. That was an excellent scene and really upsetting in how consigned he is to his fate. The brother just looks so exhausted and drained.
" Nightcrawler" is a much more interesting movie that actually is trying to say something about our image obsessed culture. And it was a satisfying movie - and Jake G was robbed from a well deserved Oscar nomination.
I saw The Imitation Game. I liked it better than most films of its type - better than Theory or The King's Speech. Some parts were clunky (the voiceover and old newsreel footage in particular), but Keira and Cumberbatch were excellent, and it told an interesting story.
I still need to see Selma, Still Alice, 2 Days 1 Night (I hope I get to see this before the Oscars), The Judge, and Nightcrawler (I can't believe I missed this in the theatre).
I'm normally a completist in the big eight categories. After mocking President Obama with that empty chair speech, though, Eastwood lost me as a filmgoer, and I won't pay to see American Sniper. It's no big loss, as I've always felt he was one of the most overrated directors.
American Sniper sucked. I can't believe that screenplay got in over "Gone Girl" and "Wild."
I've seen all the BP nominees except Selma. Was going to see that today with my mom but she didn't want to, so I saw Blackhat instead.
Really interesting watching the American Sniper/Selma debate snowball so quickly. I think it's super depressing that so many people are picking sides, as if you can't like and appreciate both films. I also hate the Fox News syndrome that has been steadily infecting movie debate for the last however many years, where it's not a matter of the quality of a movie but the degree to which it confirms or clashes with your ideological biases. Totally bla.
Everyone see Finding Vivian Maier as soon as you can. That is all.
I think the Imitation Game will pass TGBH on BO to be the second on the list, at a distance of course. It may not be as successful as The King's Speech but still quite impressive. Probably around 90 million domestic and 250 million worldwide, with a chance at 100/300.
For the record, depicting war as hell doesn't mean it isn't politically conservative. Republicans aren't THAT out of touch with reality. A big part of their 'fighting for out freedom" platform is that soldiers sacrifice so much for us.
I think the argument about the Academy being "out of touch" is because so often they go with movies that neither appeal to cineastes or populists. I don't know if the fanboys would have thrown less of a fit if say, "The Wrestler" was nominated over "The Dark Knight", but it wasn't, "The Reader" was. I don't think the Academy should be obligated to nominate whatever Marvel movie is raking it in, but they might as well if they go for stuff like "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close", or being a really famous movie star gives you an edge.
As I've said, I have no problem with Chris Kyle's story. The book - "American Sniper: deadliest somethingorother" is absolutely fascinating. Had a (for lack of a better word) steadier hand guided this film, say Ang Lee or Peter Weir, we could be looking at a classic. But Eastwood is on autopilot at this stage in his career, and the film has absolutely no lasting virtues except for Cooper's performance. I like Bradley Cooper a lot. He's as talented a leading man as Hollywood has right now. But this movie is getting a pass because of the subject matter, and no one is noticing right now that it's just not very good.
I've seen all BP nominees, but still have a few left to cover all films in the main categories (Acting, Directing, Scripts): Wild, Still Alice, Into the Woods, Inherent Vice and The Judge (yikes, can't be bothered watching that!).
I'M SO BEHIND ON EVERYTHING. I have only seen Birdman and Grand Budapest. This year hasn't been kind to me. I don't much care for the Best Picture slate as a whole to be honest. It's too male skewing, which is maybe why I'm not too eager to get watching the rest of the nominees besides Selma and maybe Boyhood.
Brookesboy, Joseph: I think people are misinterpreting it in a big way, which makes me think that Eastwood and Cooper haven't really done justice to this story. Then again I haven't seen it so I can't say for sure. Stuff like this is troubling:
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/american-sniper-sparks-hate-arabs-twitter-article-1.2084010
From what I read about Chris Kyle, it seems like that would be his response from this film as well.
I'm actually surprised Into the Woods has done this well, even though fairy tales are a big thing right now. I do remember reading that about 4x as many people saw the film version of Into the Woods in its first weekend than ever saw the Broadway production in its entirety. I love the cast and some of the music but I wasn't even excited to see it.
Also, Mockingjay is about $200,000 away from being 2014's top earner, probably will take it by the end of this week.
Well to add onto my last post, has a woman ever led two films to the top of the box office two consecutive years besides Jennifer Lawrence in the last two Hunger Games films?
I still have Still Alice and American Sniper left to see.
I just saw Two Days One Night this weekend and wow, so happy Cotillard was nominated for this fantastic performance that very easily could have been overlooked by the Academy. In a foreign language, in a small, quiet movie, with a depressed woman having the same conversation over and over again (and yet somehow doesn't feel repetitive)...this very easily could have been overlooked.
But I love that the film was brave enough to give her a mental illness, which to some viewers could make her more unlikable or insufferable (due to depression's stigma in our culture), and which added to the stakes of her quest. Very, quietly moving.
Sawyer, I appreciate your opinion, but I must take issue with you saying Eastwood is on autopilot. Whatever you think of the film artistically and politically, technically it is quite impressive. The action sequences are taut and tense--some of the best I've ever seen. This is definitely not a director who is just phoning it in.
This liberal/conservative debate is just absurd! Even if IT IS pro-war/pro-gun, who cares? Politics doesn't necessarily equal quality or artistic value; being politically conservative doesn't make it any less of a movie. So why the obsession with its ideology??
That said, I think the biggest problem with American Sniper is not its politics, is that It's just NOT that good. Another safe, predictable, cookie-cutter mold sort of a film made by Eastwood, nothing exciting. Cooper's performance probably the most interesting part of it, but still no where near Oscar worthy in my opinion.
Rah rah, Amerricuh!
PASS.
Ryan, Julie Andrews came close. SOM topped the 64 box office; the year before, Mary Poppins was 3rd in receipts.