The Iraq War movie "American Sniper" is heading for a patriotism-fueled $35 million nationwide opening one week from Friday, according to pre-release tracking. And the Clint Eastwood-directed drama starring Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller will bring some real box-office ammo if it hits the mark at the Oscar nominations a day earlier.

It has sizzled in its limited rollout. Debuting on Christmas Day in four theaters, it posted one of the best limited openings of 2014 with $633,456, a strong $158,364 per-screen average. It did even better in its second weekend with $676,909, a $169,227 average.

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Village Roadshow's R-rated "American Sniper" was adapted by Jason Dean Hall from Chris Kyle's autobiography of the same name, and follows his struggles to be a good father and husband while fighting in Iraq.

The critics are sold and the movie is currently enjoying a 74 percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences were even more impressed, and gave it a rare "A+" CinemaScore.

The film's setting and patriotic themes have the potential to strike a major chord with Heartland and military audiences, and the studio's marketing team will look to build on that.

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Last year, Universal's Afghan war drama "Lone Survivor" did just that and opened to $37.8 million in January after a similar Oscar-qualifying limited run in December. It went on to gross more than $125 million domestically. It won for Sound Editing and Mixing, but was otherwise passed over at the Academy Awards..

"American Sniper" has an A-list director in Eastwood. Cooper, who is currently the hottest ticket on Broadway in "The Elephant Man," didn't receive a Best Actor nomination from the Golden Globes or SAG Awards, but Oscar voters may tend to differ.

While it's not one of the frontrunners, "Sniper's" Producers Guild nomination is a sign that it's a strong contender for an Oscar Best Picture slot. It was also nominated by the American Cinema Editors and the Art Directors Guild, which shows that it has below-the-line support.