'American Sniper' astounds with taking in $105.3 million over MLK holiday weekend.

• Position: News

NEW YORK -- Clint Eastwood's R-rated Iraq War drama ''American Sniper'' opened in January like a superhero movie in July, taking in a record $105.3 million over the Martin Luther King Jr. four-day weekend.

The film's unprecedented success obliterated forecasts and set numerous box-office records. It easily surpassed ''Avatar'' to become the biggest January weekend ever.

The resounding wide-release opening is also tops for the 84-year-old Eastwood, whose previous best weekend was the $29.5 million wide release of 2009's ''Gran Torino. And it, in one weekend, gives the Oscar best-picture race something it was lacking: a big ol' box-office hit.

''American Sniper, nominated for six Academy Awards, immediately becomes the top grosser of the best-picture nominees. The previous biggest hit was Wes Anderson's ''Grand Budapest Hotel,'' which made $59.1 million in its entire run.

This was actually the third week of release for ''American Sniper,'' which played in just a handful of theaters for two weeks. That slow release pattern helped stoke demand for the film, in which...