With American Sniper still ruling the US box-office roost, there were mixed fortunes for some new arrivals, **Mortdecai **most notably, all of which had to put up with unfavourable reviews. Still, nothing managed to unseat Bradley Cooper from the top slot, as Sniper took in an impressive $64.3 million this weekend, staying strong and sailing past the $200 million mark at the domestic box office alone. Given its limited opening in 2014, it could end up as one of the most profitable films of last year, as well as a record-breaker in 2015.
Second place went to Jennifer Lopez’s latest cinematic outing, steamy thriller The Boy Next Door. Despite reviews lambasting its overcooked flavour, the movie managed to open with $15 million, which was ahead of expectations and a solid return on a $4 million budget. Paddington stayed in third, adding a healthy $12.3 million to its Stateside total. The loveable bear has now made more than $40 million in the US and $169.5 million worldwide, which should keep him in marmalade for a while.
The Wedding Ringer fell to fourth, taking home $11.6 million while Taken 3 dropped one place to fifth with $7.6 million this weekend and $76 million in total so far.
The Imitation Game held at sixth place, earning $7.1 million and handily saw off the second new arrival of the week, Strange Magic. Backed by George Lucas (who co-wrote the story and acted as executive producer), the fantasy family ‘toon failed to find a big audience, especially after some damning critical notices. Still, it pulled in $5.53 million in seventh for its first weekend haul. Martin Luther King Jr. drama Selma fell a few places, down from fifth to eighth and $5.5 million, with more than $39 million in the bank after this weekend.
You have to glance all the way down to ninth to find Mortdecai, with Johnny Depp’s latest flop landing with a thud and $4.1 million, one of his worst openings for years. It’s been a tough old time for Depp of late, with films such as The Lone Ranger and Transcendence disappointing at the box office and now this. He’ll be hoping for much better results from the likes of Alice In Wonderland: Through The Looking Glass and Boston mobster drama Black Mass. And then there’s Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, but that isn’t due to sail in until 2017 and hasn’t even started shooting yet. Finally, at tenth, we find Into The Woods (which also features Depp, but hasn’t really been sold on him), adding $3.8 million for a $121.4 million running total.
To see Bradley Cooper shoot past Johnny Depp and Jennifer Lopez in the full chart listings, head to Box Office Mojo.