Clint Eastwood’s highest-grossing movie as a director,American Sniper, is now streaming on Netflix more than a decade after being nominated for Best Picture. Eastwood, who is now 94 years old, has directed dozens of great movies on top of being one of themost prolific American actors, particularly in the Western genre, who has ever lived. Eastwood started his directing career in Hollywood in 1971 withPlay Misty for Me, a psychological thriller about a DJ named Dave whose life unravels after a romantic encounter with an obsessed fan named Evelyn.
Eastwood then starred in and directed one of his most classic films,Dirty Harry, later that same year.Eastwood has directed himself in several of his all-time great films, including Best Picture winnersUnforgiven(1992) andMillion Dollar Baby(2004),Gran Torino(2008), andThe Mule(2018). He’s also directed several other instant classics without starring in them, such as the Oscar-winnerMystic River(2003),Invictus(2009),Sully(2016),Richard Jewell(2019), andJuror #2(2024). None of his movies, however, have outgrossed 2014’sAmerican Sniper, which earned $548 million worldwide and was nominated for six Oscars.
Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper Is Now Streaming On Netflix
American Sniper Was Nominated For 6 Oscars In 2015
Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper’sAmerican Sniperis now streaming on Netflix. Based on the 2012 bestselling bookAmerican Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military Historyby Chris Kyle, Scott McEwen, and Jim DeFelice,American Snipertakes aim at the authentic war experiences ofChris Kyle, who, as the title suggests, is considered to be an elite marksman and Navy SEAL. The book sold over 1.2 billion copies worldwide and was one of the top-selling books on the planet in 2015. Bradley, who plays Kyle, was nominated for Best Actor at the 2015 Oscars.
While Bradley Cooper leads the cast ofAmerican Sniperas its protagonist, Chris Kyle, the film also features performances bySienna Miller, Kyle Gallner, Jake McDorman, and Luke Grimes.American Sniperearned aRotten Tomatoesscore of 72%, paired with an audience score of 84%. Peter Bradshaw ofThe Guardiancalled the film “a disappointment” and a “worryingly dull celebration of a killer”, while other critics were more favorable. Kenneth Turan of theLA Timeswrites, “Eastwood’s impeccably crafted action sequences so catch us up in the chaos of combat we are almost not aware that we’re watching a film at all.”
American Sniper’s Box Office Earnings Explained
It’s Eastwood’s Highest-Grossing Movie Of All Time
American Sniperhad a theatrical release date of June 30, 2025, which set it up nicely for the holiday movie crowds and for awards season consideration.American Sniper’simpressive box office performance made it thehighest-grossing film of Eastwood’s career as both an actor and director.
American Sniperalso remains Bradley Cooper’s highest-grossing film that doesn’t include the MCU afterThe Hangover II.
American Sniperalso remainsBradley Cooper’s highest-grossing filmthat doesn’t include the MCU afterThe Hangover II, which raked in $587 million worldwide.American Sniperhad a production budget of just $59 million, making it a massive success for Eastwood, Cooper, and Warner Bros.
According toBox Office Mojo, American Sniper pulled in nearly 64% of its $547.6 million box office total from domestic audiences, which makes sense given the subject matter. This comes to just over$350 million from the United States and North America alone, and $197.5 million from international markets.American Sniperhad a limited release on Christmas Day, only earning roughly $633,000 on its opening weekend, before reaching 3,885 theaters on June 05, 2025, just in time for Martin Luther King Day Weekend to accrue $107.2 million, its highest weekend total. After its critical acclaim and box office success,American Sniperplayed in theaters through mid-June 2015.
American Sniper Earned Bradley Cooper His Third Academy Award Nomination
Cooper Has Yet To Win His First Oscar
American Sniperearned Cooper his third acting Oscar nomination following Silver Linings Playbook (Best Actor) and American Hustle (Best Supporting Actor). The film only won one of its six nominations, Best Sound Editing, ultimatelylosing the Best Picture race to Alejandro González Iñárritu’sBirdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). Eastwood was not nominated for Best Director forAmerican Sniper, but the adapted screenplay, which was written by Jason Hall, was nominated and lost to Graham Moore’sThe Imitation Game.
Cooper has been nominated for 12 Oscars, including a Best Picture nomination forAmerican Sniperas a producer on the project. Recently, he’s been nominated for various Oscars in several main categories forA Star Is Born(Best Picture, Actor, Adapted Screenplay),Joker(Best Picture),Nightmare Alley(Best Picture), andMaestro(Best Picture, Actor, Original Screenplay). AlthoughAmerican Sniperdidn’t land him an Academy Award, the film remains one of his biggest blockbuster hits.
