Does this weekend's mammoth opening tip the Oscar scales in its direction? Story by Matt Cummings Although the Clint Eastwood war drama American Sniper was poised to make a splash at this year's Oscars, there was no guarantee that it would become a sure-fire financial success. Films like The Imitation Game ($51m) and The Theory of Everything ($27m) featured excellent performances from Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne respectively, but neither has brought in the big bucks, a common feature for most Oscar nominees. But that all changed over the four-day weekend for Sniper , when it took home a stunning $89m in only its first weekend. Add in the Monday numbers and it surpassed $107m - the largest opening ever for a January film in wide release. Who could have saw that coming? Some have claimed its success was willing was based on what few films today will do: show less of itself in the trailers. Look at any film today, and you'll see most of it play