FIFTY SHADES OF GREY Has $239.7 Million Global Weekend At Box Office; AMERICAN SNIPER Surpasses Past $300 Million

© 2015 Universal Studios and Focus Features. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

More like 50 Shades of GREEN. The phenomenon FIFTY SHADES OF GREY became the motion-picture event for Valentine’s Day with an estimated $81 million at the holiday weekend box office and earned $239.7 million around the globe this weekend

Opening in 59 markets, the film brought in a massive $158 million overseas, ranks fifth all-time among R-rated movies and is the biggest debut ever for a female director.

The film adaptation that had been the subject of widespread speculation and boundless curiosity, whose first trailer became YouTube’s most-watched movie trailer last year, is on the big screen playing at 3,646 locations.

The movie stars Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Luke Grimes, Rita Ora and Marcia Gay-Harden.

Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, the erotic love story from series creator E L James took audiences inside a rich and mysterious world that explores the complexities of male-female dynamics.

Read Michael Haffner’s review HERE.

© 2015 Universal Studios and Focus Features. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE claimed the number 2 spot this weekend.

“In its second weekend internationally, the movie took in $23.1 million in 38 territories. This combined with the $35.6 million it earned in its North American debut gives KINGSMAN $58.7 million for the weekend and a worldwide total to date of nearly $80 million,” according to Rentrak’s Senior Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian.

Based upon the acclaimed comic book and directed by Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass, X-Men First Class), KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE tells the story of a super-secret spy organization that recruits an unrefined but promising street kid into the agency’s ultra-competitive training program just as a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius.

The movie stars Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Strong, Taron Egerton and Michael Caine.

Read Jim Batts’ review HERE.

Read our interview with co-composer Matthew Margeson HERE.

TM and © 2014 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.

Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ Oscar-nominated blockbuster AMERICAN SNIPER continues to make cinema history, crossing $300 million at the domestic box office today. The announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

Directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller, AMERICAN SNIPER has continued to fill conventional and IMAX theatres nationwide. It is now the top-grossing war movie of all time, Bradley Cooper’s biggest live-action feature ever, and the second-highest-grossing R-rated drama ever. In addition, it is the first Warner Bros. non-franchise film, only the seventh Warner Bros. release of any kind, and one of only 50 films in cinema history to achieve this milestone domestically.

In making the announcement, Fellman stated, “This is another extraordinary benchmark for an extraordinary film. Rarely does a film come along that strikes such an emotional and thought-provoking chord with such a wide audience. Congratulations to Clint Eastwood and everyone involved in ‘American Sniper’ on the film’s huge success, both at the box office and in the hearts and minds of people everywhere.”

“American Sniper is also showing strength overseas. With just 40% of international markets launched to date, the film has grossed an impressive $85.7 million, with many major territories prepping to release next week, including France, Spain, Japan, Brazil and Mexico.

Eastwood directed AMERICAN SNIPER from a screenplay written by Jason Hall, based on the book by Chris Kyle, with Jim DeFelice and Scott McEwen. Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller star in the film.

AMERICAN SNIPER has earned six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Cooper), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Jason Hall). In addition, Eastwood was honored by his peers with his fourth Directors Guild of America Award nomination and also won the National Board of Review Award for Best Director. The film’s other honors include a Producers Guild of America Award nomination, a Writers Guild of America Award nomination, and a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.

©2014 VILLAGE ROADSHOW FILMS(BVI) LIMITED, WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT INC. AND RATPAC-DUNE ENTERTAINMENT LLC

Oscar Sunday is next weekend, February 22. Opening in theaters is THE DUFF, HOT TUB TIME MACHINE 2 and MCFARLAND, U.S.A.

The top 12 worldwide weekend box office estimates, listed in descending order, per data collected as of Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, are below. (via Rentrak)

1. Fifty Shades Of Grey – Universal – $239.7M
2. Kingsman: The Secret Service – 20th Century Fox – $58.7M
3. Spongebob Squarepants: Sponge Out Of Water- Paramount – $44.0M
4. Somewhere Only We Know – Multiple – $30.0M
5. Jupiter Ascending – Warner Bros. – $25.0M
6. American Sniper – Warner Bros. – $20.1M
7. Big Hero 6 – Disney – $9.9M
8. Taken 3 – 20th Century Fox – $8.3M
9. Imitation Game, The – Multiple – $7.5M
10. Night At The Museum: Secret Of The Tomb – 20th Century Fox – $7.1M
11. Detective K: The Laborer’s Daughter – Showbox/Mediaplex – $6.2M
12. Paddington – Multiple – $5.1M

The top 12 domestic weekend box office estimates, listed in descending order, per data collected as of Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, are below.

1. Fifty Shades Of Grey – Universal – $81.7M
2. Kingsman: The Secret Service – 20th Century Fox – $35.6M
3. Spongebob Squarepants: Sponge Out Of Water – Paramount – $30.5M
4. American Sniper – Warner Bros. – $16.4M
5. Jupiter Ascending – Warner Bros. – $9.4M
6. Seventh Son – Universal – $4.2M
7. Paddington – The Weinstein Company – $4.1M
8. Imitation Game, The – The Weinstein Company – $3.5M
9. Wedding Ringer, The – Sony – $3.4M
10. Project Almanac – Paramount – $2.7M
11. Black Or White – Relativity Media – $2.6M
12. Boy Next Door, The – Universal – $1.8M