from Felix Richter, Statista.com
by Niall McCarthy
American Sniper shot to the top of the winter box office record breakers list last week.
It had the highest grossing opening weekend of any winter movie release in history, taking in just under $90 million. Things only got better for American Sniper and its director, Clint Eastwood. After its huge opening weekend, the Iraq war drama was also nominated for six Oscars, including best actor for its star, Bradley Cooper.
Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ held the previous record for the best opening weekend performance – it grossed nearly $84 million back in 2004 and remains the most successful non-English language movie of all time. The Lego Movie comes third overall, taking in $69 million during its opening weekend last year. Unlike American Sniper, however, it has only been nominated for a single Oscar – Best Original Song.
This chart shows opening weekend revenue of the most successful winter movie releases.
You will find more statistics at Statista
