It's been done, you guys: The formula for a successful movie has been cracked. Apparently, if you want to make a commercially successful film that will totally beat all competition at the box office even when new films are being released, all you have to do is make sure it includes a fake baby, and make sure people notice. At least, that what I gather based on this news from Deadline: According to the film site, American Sniper is still breaking box office records during its second week of release, and is projected to pull in a whopping $61.2 million this weekend despite competition from star-studded films like Johnny Depp's Mordecai, and Jennifer Lopez's The Boy Next Door. In fact, American Sniper isn't just breaking records — it's crushing all its competition too.
Of course, I'm sure this could potentially also have something to do with the fact that it stars Bradley Cooper, or with its real-life storyline chronicling the life and death of the deadliest sniper in American history, or even the fact that it's been nominated for Best Picture at this year's Oscars. But the movie also includes a fake baby, and I just want to make sure everyone knows that.
As for Mordecai, the Depp-starring film, sadly, was not so lucky: While American Sniper is breaking records like second best weekend for any film that's opened in January and third-highest earning film that opened in January, Depp's newest film is reported to have only pulled in $1.6 million on opening night, and is currently projected to open at 8th place this week with $4.6 million in ticket sales. Considering the star power behind the film, this is surprising — and hopefully not the beginning of a trend. Lopez's The Boy Next Door, on the other hand, is reported as doing slightly better with a projected $15.3 million set to be earned this weekend, and a 2nd place spot in the box office.
