"American Sniper" broke the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend and beat out all new releases.

The six-time Academy Award nominee feature directed by Clint Eastwood made an estimated $90 million and brought its gross to $93.6 million.

After three weekends in limited release, Warner Bros. expanded "American Sniper" into 3,555 theaters and broke the record for a January opening. The previous record holder was "Ride Along," which opened last year to $41 million. The film was also the highest opening for a Clint Eastwood film and is on track to become the highest grossing film by the director. "American Sniper" now holds the distinction for being the highest opening for a winter movie and the second highest opening for an R-rated film. With a month until the Oscars, the film is likely to benefit from the awards buzz.

In second place, Sony's "The Wedding Ringer" made a solid $21 million. The Kevin Hart and Josh Gad starrer scored terrible reviews but was propelled by the lack of comedies in the marketplace at the moment. Sony also gave the film a strong marketing campaign. However, the big news is that Hart continues to be a box office draw. Last year, he had "Think Like a Man Too" and "Ride Along," both of which exceeded expectations. Looking ahead at the calendar, "The Wedding Ringer" will likely continue to play well with audiences as it faces no real competition.

In third place, the Weinstein Company released "Paddington" to great reviews and scored a $19 million opening. The film benefited from the holiday weekend and from the lack of new family releases. The Weinstein's also gave the film a strong marketing campaign. With no new family films coming out in the next few weeks, expect the film to continue to play well at the box office.

In its second weekend, "Taken 3" slid to No. 4 and made an estimated $14 million. The feature was down 64 percent and brought its total to $62 million. The third installment is currently in track to become the lowest grossing film in the franchise. If it continues to drop at this rate, it is unlikely the feature will hit the $100 million. Expect an $85 to $90 million total by the end of its run.

Oscar nominee "Selma" held on well but continued to underperform. The Martin Luther King Jr. biopic made $8.3 million and brought its total to $25.9 million. The film's controversy and timely topic has made people more aware of the feature but based on box office, it lacks the must-see value that other Oscar nominees currently have.

In sixth place, "The Imitation Game was down 3 percent and made an estimated $7 million. The Weinstein Company release has currently made $50 million. The eight-time Academy Award nominee is currently outpacing "The King's Speech" and could likely hit the $100 million by the end of the awards season.

Michael Mann's latest release "Blackhat" suffered one of the worst openings in recent times. The film opened in 2,567 theaters and only made $4 million. While marketing was definitely strong, the Universal release scored terrible reviews. It was also hurt by the success of "American Sniper," which catered to the same demographic.

In smaller releases, a number of Oscar nominees expanded to mixed results. "Birdman" opened in 471 theaters and made a solid $1.5 million. The nine-time Academy Award nominee has now made $28 million and could still reach the $40 million mark by the end of its run.

"Foxcatcher" expanded into 759 theaters and made $1.1 million. The Best Director nominee has struggled throughout the season due to its bleak topic and subject matter. However, the Sony Pictures Classics has made a solid $10 million and could continue to play to solid numbers throughout the next month.

Sony Pictures Classics also expanded "Whiplash" into 189 theaters. The best picture nominee, however, has not generated enough attention and was only able to bring in $412,000 over the weekend. The film has currently grossed $6.6 million and could end its run with $10 million.

A24 expanded the Oscar snubbed drama "A Most Violent Year" into 39 theaters. The film made $313,000 and brought its solid gross to $804,000. The company will bring the film out nationwide in a few weeks.

Sony Pictures Classics also finally opened "Still Alice." The Oscar nominee made $212,000 in 12 theaters. The movie has generated a lot of buzz throughout the past few weeks and is expected to win the Best Actress statue on Oscar night.

Related