'American Sniper' shoots for more box office records

'American Sniper' shoots for more box office records

Record-breaking drama "American Sniper" remained firmly on top of the North American box office this weekend, shrugging off rumbling controversies to cement its status as the highest-grossing war movie of all time, estimated figures showed Sunday. The Clint Eastwood-directed drama surpassed Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" as the most successful war film ever made last Thursday, after inching past the 1998 movie's record haul of $216.5 million. Eastwood's movie, loosely based on the life of Chris Kyle, the deadliest sniper in US military history, has divided critics who have accused it of presenting a simplistic black-and-white view of the Iraq War. "American Sniper" -- which has been nominated for six Academy Awards -- has now set its sights on another box office record, aiming to become the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time.