MANILA, Philippines - Gran Torino scored $120-M at the US box office and is still growing. The film is directed by Eastwood, who stars as an iron-willed Korean War veteran forced by his immigrant neighbors to confront his own long-held prejudices.
The film tops the list of pictures directed by and/or starring Eastwood, including In the Line of Fire, ($102-M); the Oscar-winning Unforgiven ($101-M); Million Dollar Baby ($100-M); Space Cowboys ($90-M); Mystic River ($90-M); Every Which Way But Loose ($85-M); and The Bridges of Madison County ($71.5-M).
In the US, Gran Torino opened for a three-week limited run in December 2008, during which it landed on a number of year-end 10 best lists, with Eastwood’s performance and the film’s screenplay winning awards from the National Board of Review, among other accolades. The film expanded to general release on Jan. 9 and raced to the top of the weekend box office, earning a record-breaking $29.5-M and becoming the biggest-ever opening for an Eastwood film as well as the biggest-ever three-day January opening.
The film centers on Walt Kowalski (Eastwood), a bigoted, cantankerous man. He lives alone with his dog in a neighborhood that has gone from middle-class and lily white to working class and Hmong — the little-known culture from Laos and other parts of Asia that allied with the US during the Vietnam War. One such immigrant family lives next door to Walt and he is far from happy — especially when their 16-year-old son Thao’s involvement with local gang bangers disturbs Walt’s routine. After the teenager tries to steal his vintage car, Walt takes action.
Gran Torino is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.