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‘Mortdecai’ flops, ‘American Sniper’ leads Friday box office

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In what’s appearing to be true Johnny Depp fashion, his lead role in the newly released “Mortdecai” couldn’t muster the numbers to take over Friday’s box office. In fact, it barely cracked the Top 10 while “American Sniper” continued its reign.

Depp’s film, based on the 1970s Kyril Bonfiglioli comic novels, grossed just $1.5 million. In it, Depp stars as the quirky art dealer and part-time rogue Charlie Mortdecai, who tries to recover a stolen painting. But much like his other recent films, “Transcendence” and “The Lone Ranger,” his star power, combined with co-stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor and Olivia Munn, didn’t boost the release to any heights.

Holding down the No. 1 spot for the second week is Clint Eastwood’s “American Sniper,” which pulled in another $18.3 million Friday, adding to its already record-breaking $105 million last weekend.

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The adaptation of Chris Kyle’s autobiography of the same name cost Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow about $58 million to make. It follows the story of Kyle (Bradley Cooper), a Navy SEAL known as the most lethal sniper in American history, and co-stars Sienna Miller.

With its six Oscar nominations, including best picture, the film has generated much buzz from both critics and audiences. The movie received a 73% positive rating from the critic aggregating site Rotten Tomatoes and an A-plus grade from audience polling firm CinemaScore.

Far behind “American Sniper,” new release “The Boy Next Door” pulled in $5.7 million for second place, already surpassing the $4 million it took Universal and Blumhouse Productions to make the film. The thriller follows Claire Peterson (Jennifer Lopez), a teacher who is seduced by teenager Noah (Ryan Guzman).

In third place, Kevin Hart’s “The Wedding Ringer” pulled in another $3.3 million in its second week, adding to its $24.5 million debut.

Rounding out the top five are Weinstein Co.’s “Paddington” with $2.6 million and the Liam Neeson-led “Taken 3” with $2 million.

Follow me on Twitter: @TrevellAnderson

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