Lone Survivor has set the record for the second-biggest opening ever in the month of January by bringing in $37.8 million. That number is expected to grow to $100 million over the next few weeks.
The Navy SEAL action-packed film starring Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch and Ben Foster was released nationwide on Friday. The movie, directed by Peter Berg, is based on Marcus Luttrell’s first-hand account of one of the deadliest battles in Afghanistan.
On Marcus Luttrell’s website, he recounts the events that occurred on June 28, 2005.
On June 28, 2005, Luttrell and SEAL Team 10 were assigned to a mission to kill or capture Ahmad Shah (nom de guerre Mohammad Ismail), a high-ranking Taliban leader responsible for killings in eastern Afghanistan and the Hindu-Kush mountains.
Luttrell was the only survivor. Badly wounded, he managed to walk and crawl seven miles to evade capture. He was given shelter by an Afghan tribe, who alerted the Americans of his presence, and American forces finally rescued him six days after the gun battle. Following his physical recovery from Operation Redwing, Marcus went back and completed one more tour before being medically retired. He then wrote the book, Lone Survivor, to share the amazing story of his brothers who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Lone Survivor’s success was, in part, by the endorsements it received during recent sporting events. Not only was the film pushed during college and pro football postseasons, Marcus Luttrell, himself, appeared during the UFC 168 event to discuss the movie.
Berg said that he wanted people to experience what Luttrell and his team went through, and to see what kind of sacrifice they made for their country. “What I’ve found at screenings is that people are reacting to the opportunity to experience what these men went through, to pay their respects,” Berg said on Monday. “It’s a chance for audiences to express their patriotism in a way that doesn’t feel political, and we don’t have a lot of chances to do that.”
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