Italy Box Office: ‘American Sniper’ Beats ‘Exodus,’ Stays on Top

In its third week of release, Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper managed to stay on top of Italy’s box office with $3.8 million for the week ending Sunday.

Following six Oscar nominations, including for best picture, best actor and best adapted screenplay, the film about America’s deadliest sniper in Iraq continued to pull in crowds across the country. The film set a record in the U.S., with the highest non-franchise opening box office of $105.3 million.

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In Italy, American Sniper beat out the debut of Exodus: Gods and Kings, despite a huge advertising campaign across the country. The Ridley Scott biblical film, starring Christian Bale as Moses, pulled in $3.06 million.

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Local comedy Si Accettano Miracoli took the number-three position with $2.28 million, after its extraordinary New Year’s release, which brought in $8.5 million in one week. Popular comedian Alessandro Siani brought many families to theaters with his comedy about a fake miracle that sways the Southern masses.

Despite having the biggest opening of the year in Italy, Si Accettano Miracoli’s total, at $16.69 million, has also been overtaken by American Sniper, which has brought in $18.08 million in the country to date.

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The uptick in ticket sales from January films bodes well for Italy’s box office, which fell dramatically last year. Several movies saw boosts from the recent Oscar nominations. The Imitation Game took the number-four spot with $1.92 million, and The Theory of Everything took number five with $1.62 million.

The animated French film Asterix: Le Domaine Des Dieux premiered at number seven with $790,000. Big Eyes managed to stay in the top 10, as did Horrible Bosses 2 with a $705,000 intake.

Twitter: @Aristonla