In this image released by Warner Bros. Pictures, Kyle Gallner, left, and Bradley Cooper appear in a scene from American SniperUncredited/The Associated Press
ON A ROLL
American Sniper has been rolling over all the competition at the box office – including Johnny Depp's latest movie.
Variety reports that the fact-based war drama starring Bradley Cooper topped the weekend box office for the second straight week with earnings of $64.4-million (U.S.).
Directed by Clint Eastwood, American Sniper stars Cooper as Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, the most prodigious sniper in U.S. military history with 160 confirmed kills over four tours of duty in Iraq. Both the film and Cooper have been nominated for Oscars.
Since American Sniper's full theatrical rollout on January 16, the film has earned slightly more than $200-million (U.S.). At its current pace, the movie is on track to become the highest-grossing war film of all time, easily surpassing current record-holder Saving Private Ryan, which earned $216-million (U.S.) domestically in 1998.
And how did Depp's new film Mortdecai perform in theatres last weekend? Beyond the withering reviews, the broad comedy vehicle finished in ninth place overall with an embarrassing $4.1-million (U.S.) in box office revenues.
Formerly the bankable star of the billion-dollar Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise, Depp has now had three high-profile flops in a row following the dismal box-office response to last year's Transcendence and The Lone Ranger in 2013.
"Something needs to click soon," BoxOffice.com analyst Phil Contrino told Variety on the weekend. "It's a couple of misses in a row and that always stings."
Finishing a distant second place to American Sniper last weekend was the new romantic thriller The Boy Next Door, starring Jennifer Lopez.
Coming in third place was the family film Paddington ($12.4-million), followed by The Wedding Ringer ($11.6-million) and the Liam Neeson actioner Taken 3 ($7.6-million).
AND THE WINNER IS…
And the Miss Universe crown for 2015 goes to… Miss Colombia! The annual competition awarded the top honour to 22-year-old Paulina Vega during the ceremony broadcast live from the Miami Beach Convention Center. In receiving the award, Vega said, "It will be a dream come true to represent the woman of today. A woman that not only cares about being beautiful and being glamorous, but also cares about being a professional, intelligent, hard-working person." Miss USA Nia Sanchez and Miss Ukraine Diana Harkusha came in second and third place, respectively. Canadian representative Chanel Beckenlehner, who earned viral fame last week with her hockey-themed outfit, did not advance to the final round of 15 contestants.
Source: Associated Press
MORE WALKING, LESS BOOZING
Zach Galifianakis revealed his startling weight loss at last night's Screen Actor Guild Awards. The Birdman star first showed his newly-svelte physique at the film's New York premiere last October. On Sunday night, the 45-year-old Galifianakis appeared to have dropped even more weight when he went onstage to accept the SAG award for best ensemble cast along with his Birdman co-stars. In a recent interview with Chicago TV station WGN, the formerly portly star of The Hangover credited his weight loss to a change of diet and regular exercise. "I started walking a bunch and gave up booze," said Galifianakis. "Booze, I was done with it. I couldn't wake up, so I stopped. But boy, I miss it."
Source: Daily Mail