Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper has become the highest grossing movie to be released in 2014, with $337.2 million and counting. The controversial film surpassed The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1, which has brought in $336.9 million so far, for the top spot. The rest of last year’s top five is filled with the expected blockbuster fare, with Guardians of the Galaxy coming in third with $333.1 million, Captain America: The Winter Soldier in fourth with $259.7 million, and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies rounding it out with $254.4 million. American Sniper first debuted on four screens Christmas Day with $633,456 and only grew from there.
Meanwhile, this weekend’s box office was dismal: Chappie was No. 1 with a paltry $13.3 million, bumping last weekend’s winner Focus into second with its $10 million haul. Vince Vaughn’s Unfinished Business did even worse, bringing in just $4.8 million, making it the actor’s fifth consecutive bomb after Delivery Man, The Internship, The Watch, and The Dilemma. The new release that fared best was The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which premiered on fewer screens and brought in $8.6 million. Maybe these movies needed to throw a plastic baby into the mix?