Weekend Box Office Report: January 30-February 1, 2015

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

American Sniper remains on target!

For the third week in a row, the war drama AMERICAN SNIPER shot to the top of the box office with an estimated $31.8 million!

With a domestic total of $248.9 million, the Clint Eastwood-directed film is a bigger North American success than many of last summer's expensive tentpole releases like GODZILLA and TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION (it will easily pass $300 million on a reported cost of $60 million). Hitting another milestone, the Oscar nominee is also the highest-grossing Super Bowl weekend movie.

AMERICAN SNIPER is also now the fifth biggest R-rated domestic release — just behind star Bradley Cooper's THE HANGOVER and THE HANGOVER PART II. Mel Gibson's THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST still tops the list with $370 million.

Strolling up a spot to second place was the family-friendly bear adventure PADDINGTON with $8.5 million. The adaptation of the popular children's book series has also passed $200 million worldwide.

Opening in third was the new found-footage sci-fi thriller PROJECT ALMANAC with $8.5 million. Produced by Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes company for a reported $12 million, the PG-13 teen time-travel adventure didn't captivate critics (36% on Rotten Tomatoes), and audiences gave it a straight 'B' CinemaScore.

In fourth was the new Kevin Costner movie BLACK OR WHITE with a $6.4 million opening. Critics didn't find the PG-13 race-relations melodrama very convincing (35% on Rotten Tomatoes), but moviegoers thought it had enough heart for an 'A-' CinemaScore.

The low-budget Jennifer Lopez exotic thriller THE BOY NEXT DOOR vacated second place for fifth this week with $6 million, a drop of nearly 60% from its opening. Kevin Hart's R-rated comedy THE WEDDING RINGER was in sixth with another $5.7 million.

The Benedict Cumberbatch-starring biopic THE IMITATION GAME is now the only other Best Picture nominee in the Top 10 (where it has been since Christmas weekend). Liam Neeson's TAKEN 3 continues to stagger (it's unlikely to hit the $100 million mark domestically), followed by the Lucasfilm computer-animated musical STRANGE MAGIC in its second weekend.

Despite familiar faces like Karl Urban and James Marsden, the new R-rated thriller THE LOFT barely made it on the list with a paltry $2.8 million. Critics condemned the release with a rare zilch on Rotten Tomatoes, and paying crowds gave it a 'B-' CinemaScore.

Outside the chart, Oscar nominee SELMA marched off with INTO THE WOODS and Johnny Depp's MORTDECAI after a single woeful weekend in the Top 10. In limited release, the final two episodes from season four of HBO's GAME OF THRONES were released onto 205 IMAX screens and rode off with $1.5 million.

Next weekend delivers the Wachowski's big-budget sci-fi adventure JUPITER ASCENDING with Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis, plus Jeff Bridges in the action-fantasy SEVENTH SON, and angular trousers in the animated THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE OUT OF WATER.

Which February release are you most interested in seeing? VOTE HERE!