American Sniper brought in a record-breaking $31.9million over the Super Bowl weekend, which coincided with the two year anniversary of sniper Chris Kyle's death. The war biopic, which is inspired by the Navy SEAL's story, has also become the highest-grossing war film ever.
Clint Eastwood's film has already brought in $316 million (£278 million) in just three weeks on wide release, and has received acclaim from critics and the public alike. The film has been nominated for six Oscars including Best Picture and Best Actor for Bradley Cooper.
© Photo: RexBradley Cooper has received an Oscar nomination for his role in American Sniper
The Super Bowl weekend also saw the announcement of plans for a Chris Kyle Day in Texas, plus an initiative backed by Michelle Obama to promote the image of veterans in movies. The First Lady has praised American Sniper for its "complex, emotional depiction of a veteran and his family… [it] reflects those wrenching stories that I've heard – the complex journeys that our men and women in uniform endure."
American Sniper is inspired by Chris Kyle, who was killed in 2013 while he was mentoring troubled veteran Eddie Ray Routh, at a gun range. Chris' widow Taya Kyle has said that her late husband would be "in awe" of the film's success, which is based on his 2012 memoir of the same name.
"Part of the beauty of it is that he was just so humble," Taya told People magazine. "It makes me really emotional when I think about how he would react."
© Photo: Getty ImagesClint Eastwood's film has broken records at the box office
Bradley Cooper, who plays Chris in the film, has also said that he is pleased that the film is highlighting war veterans' struggles. Speaking at a luncheon for 2015 Oscar nominees on Monday, he said: "You never know when you make a movie that anyone is going to see it, so the audacity to think it would cause any sort of effect would be pretty presumptuous.
"Any discussion that sheds light to the plight of the soldiers and the men and women of the armed services – for that discussion to occur is fantastic."
