'American Sniper' earns $154M at box-office in first 8 days

From Ray Subers at BoxOfficeMojo.com

"American Sniper's" $18.3 million haul is, by a large margin, the biggest second Friday ever for an R-rated movie. In comparison, "The Passion of the Christ" added $13.7 million, while "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Hangover Part II" earned $10.3 million and $10.6 million, respectively. Sniper's second Friday was also significantly higher than all of 2014's superhero movies, which were in the $9 to $12 million range.

After eight days in nationwide release, American Sniper has already earned $154.1 million. On Friday, it passed "Gran Torino" to become director Clint Eastwood's highest-grossing movie ever. It also eclipsed Bradley Cooper's "American Hustle."

And check out this interesting analysis on why "Sniper" is such a hit with audiences:

Sonny Bunch: An Alternate Explanation for 'American Sniper's' Box Office Success