And now Eastwood's “Gran Torino” has set an new record for the 78-year-old actor as it came first at the weekend box office in North America on Sunday, Reuters reported. The drama of an old Korean War veteran earned about $29 million in the three days since it opened nationally on Friday, distributor Warner Bros. Pictures said.
"At this stage of his career, I think it's remarkable," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution at Warner Bros., which released "Gran Torino." "There are a lot of younger people that can identify with him in a role like this that maybe haven't seen him a role like this since `Dirty Harry.'"
His victory has come just in time, only a day before Oscar voters' nominations ballots. Although other awards groups seemed to have passed over Eastwood's newest production, its latest success might give the movie a chance anyway. However, Oscar voters are potentially influenced by the Golden Globe Awards which will take place on Sunday in Beverly Hills at 8 p.m. “Gran Torino” received one nomination for original song.
"This will raise its profile in a very profound way," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media by Numbers adding that "`Gran Torino' is in an excellent position. It's a textbook case of releasing a film in limited, nurturing it for about a month and unleashing it upon the world in a wide release and really capitalizing on that."
Eastwood's previous best weekend was with "Space Cowboys," which earned $18 million in 2000. "Gran Torino" has earned $40.1 million since opening in limited release last month.
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