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LA TIMES

Clint Eastwood's Iraq war drama American Sniper has stunned Hollywood by setting a new record at the American box office, overcoming low expectations and a wave of controversy over the film's supposed glorification of war.
The R-rated film, based on the story of Navy Seal Chris Kyle, took in US$105.3 million to set a new record for a January weekend, easily surpassing Avatar.
The unexpected success for a movie that one analyst dubbed "the most underestimated film of all time" comes after it racked up six Oscar nominations, including best picture and best actor for star Bradley Cooper.
Kyle was credited with 150 confirmed kills in Iraq and Afghanistan, a record that earned him regard as the most deadly sniper in Navy history. He was so feared by al-Qaeda that it placed a price of US$180,000 on his head.
But not everyone seemed impressed by the film's message.
Documentarian Michael Moore tweeted that he thought snipers were cowards.
"My uncle killed by sniper in WW2. We were taught snipers were cowards. Will shoot u in the back. Snipers aren't heroes. And invaders are worse," he said in a closing reference to the Iraq war.
Moore later said he wasn't specifically referring to American Sniper or Kyle and that he thought Cooper's performance in the film was "awesome".
Actor Seth Rogen chimed in by tweeting that American Sniper "kind of reminds me of the movie that's showing in the third act of Inglorious Basterds". That was a reference to the Quentin Tarantino movie's depiction of Adolf Hitler watching a fake Nazi propaganda film, in which a German sniper is shown picking off Allied soldiers from a clock tower.

None of the negative publicity seemed to hurt Eastwood's film.
"It's become a cultural phenomenon," said Dan Fellman, head of domestic distribution for Warner Brothers. "The movie reached an audience that's very hard to tap into. In both red and blue states, small and large cities, tiny towns - everywhere we went - it broke records."
Going into the weekend, optimistic predictions for American Sniper were closer to US$50 million, which still would have been a success, particularly considering how little appetite audiences have had for movies about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"This was maybe the most underestimated film of all time, considering that it did about twice what estimates predicted," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Rentrak.
The film was warmly embraced by conservatives, which Fellman said was a "huge" factor. The audience was 57 per cent male, Dergarabedian said. American Sniper resonated with audiences craving a celebration of valour, courage and patriotism.
Kyle was shot dead at a Texas shooting range in 2013 by another veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Well behind, but with another solid debut, action comedy The Wedding Ringer opened in second place with US$21 million, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations. The critically panned flick stars Kevin Hart as a best-man-for-hire for a socially awkward groom.
Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Los Angeles Times


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Eastwood's sniper film finds its mark despite flak over its message

Bradley Cooper (right) stars as a Navy Seal who was credited with 150 confirmed kills in Iraq and Afghanistan in American Sniper. Photo: Courtesy of Warner Brothers Pictures

Bradley Cooper (left) with Director Clint Eastwood on set in American Sniper (2014). Photo: Courtesy of Warner Brothers Pictures

Bradley Cooper (right) stars as a Navy Seal who was credited with 150 confirmed kills in Iraq and Afghanistan in American Sniper.Photo: Courtesy of Warner Brothers Pictures

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World

Clint Eastwood's Iraq drama sets US box office record but some criticised the movie's message


Clint Eastwood's Iraq war drama American Sniper has stunned Hollywood by setting a new record at the American box office, overcoming low expectations and a wave of controversy over the film's supposed glorification of war.
