‘American Sniper’ Divides Hollywood: Seth Rogen, Michael Moore, and Other Stars Take Sides (pICTURE)

The Clint Eastwood-directed war drama has broken box office records and divided audiences—and Hollywood celebrities—along political lines.

American Sniper is a bona fide cultural phenomenon.

The war drama, which racked up a surprising 6 Oscar nominations—including Best Picture—collected a massive $90.2 million in its opening weekend to set a record for January. Its nearest competition was James Cameron’s Avatar, which grossed $68.5 million in its first January frame on its way to $760 million domestic and close to $2.8 billion worldwide.

Directed by Clint Eastwood, the film tells the real-life tale of Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper), the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history. Nicknamed “Legend,” the Navy SEAL served four tours in the Iraq War, received several commendations for valor, and racked up 160 confirmed kills—though he later claimed the actual number was 255. Eastwood’s film cuts back and forth between Kyle’s time in the field and his home life with wife Taya (Sienna Miller) and their two children. Ultimately, Kyle was gunned down at a shooting range in his native Texas by Eddie Ray Routh, a Marine veteran allegedly suffering from PTSD.

Unlike other Hollywood films that covered the Iraq War, e.g. Green Zone, The Hurt Locker, The Lucky Ones, The Messenger, Stop-Loss, etc., American Sniper has already proven to be a box office hit, eclipsing its $60 million budget in its first three days of release. However, the film has also divided audiences along political lines. MOREHERE

Read more about ‘American Sniper’ Divides Hollywood: Seth Rogen, Michael Moore, and Other Stars Take Sides (pICTURE)