A talking animated sponge knocked a Navy Seal sharpshooter from the top of the box office chart as ‘The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water’ took $56 million in ticket sales, deposing ‘American Sniper’ after a three-week run at number 1.
‘SpongeBob’, the second theatrical film based on the animated television series, follows the yellow sponge and his friends who must travel to the sea’s surface to retrieve a secret recipe stolen by a pirate played by Antonio Banderas. The $74 million production trumped the first film’s 2004 debut — that picture kicked off to $32 million en route to an $85.4 million domestic haul.
According to Reuters, the Oscar-nominated war film starring Bradley Cooper and directed by Clint Eastwood finished in second place with $24.2 million at U.S. and Canadian theaters for Friday through Sunday, according to studio estimates.
‘American Sniper’, one of the biggest hits of the past year, has earned more than $282 million at U.S. and Canadian theaters since going into wide release on Jan. 16. The film received six Oscar nominations, including one for best picture.
