Categories: Weekend Box Office

Weekend Box Office Report: August 14-16, 2015

Straight Outta Compton is #1 with attitude!

The story of groundbreaking hip-hop group N.W.A. stormed the box office this weekend, putting STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON on top with an estimated $56 million opening!

The R-rated gaze into the rise and fall of Ice Cube and Dr. Dre's early rap career had the biggest opening for a musician biopic, more than doubling previous winner WALK THE LINE's $22 million debut (it went on to $119.5 million and a number of award nominations). STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON rolled up with a reported $28 million cost.

It's also the biggest debut for director F. Gary Gray, whose last efforts started with $21 million (LAW ABIDING CITIZEN) and $23.4 million (the GET SHORTY follow-up BE COOL). Critics and crowds were into STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON's beats with 88% on Rotten Tomatoes and a straight 'A' CinemaScore.

Tom Cruise's latest espionage exploits took a rest from being on top for two weekends as MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION slipped to second place with $17.3 million. The globetrotting mission has gathered $373 million around the world so far.

Opening in third was another dose of PG-13 spy action in THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. with $13.5 million. Director Guy Ritchie's riff on the 1960s TV show came with an $80 million reported cost and paired new Superman Henry Cavill with almost-Batman Armie Hammer. Critics shrugged at the retro thriller with 67% on Rotten Tomatoes, and audiences gave it a 'B' CinemaScore.

In the number four slot was FANTASTIC FOUR with $8 million, a considerable 68% drop from its second-place opening last weekend. The latest version of Marvel's heroes did cross $100 million worldwide, so that's… something.

In fifth place was Joel Edgerton's THE GIFT with $6.5 million. The R-rated thriller seems to be gaining word-of-mouth traction, losing only 45% of business from last week's opening. It's now at a 10-day domestic total of $23.5 million on a reported $5 million cost.

Marvel's miniscule superhero ANT-MAN was in sixth with another $5.5 million on its fifth weekend in theaters. It is up to $347 million worldwide, although that is still the second-smallest global total in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ahead of THE INCREDIBLE HULK's $263 million and behind CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER's $370 million..

In seventh was the latest Wally World journey VACATION with $5.3 million, followed by MINIONS in eighth place on its path to a likely $1 billion worldwide finish. The Meryl Streep rocker RICKI AND THE FLASH was in ninth (down 31% from last week's debut) and Amy Schumer's TRAINWRECK closed the list as it chugs toward $100 million.

Outside the chart, PIXELS got de-rezzed and SOUTHPAW got punched out. In limited release, filmmaker Noah Baumbach's new comedy MISTRESS AMERICA had a solid $23k per-screen average.

Next weekend delivers the Jesse Eisenberg stoner action-comedy AMERICAN ULTRA, the low-budget horror sequel SINISTER 2, and another shot at the videogame HITMAN: AGENT 47.

What is your favorite musician biopic? VOTE HERE!

# MOVIE TITLE WKND $ TOTAL $
1 Straight Outta Compton $56 M NEW
2 Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation $17 M $138.1 M
3 The Man from U.N.C.L.E. $13.5 M NEW
4 Fantastic Four $8 M $41.9 M
5 The Gift $6.5 M $23.5 M
6 Vacation $5.3 M $46.8 M
7 Ant-Man $5.5 M $157.5 M
8 Minions $5.1 M $312.9 M
9 Ricki and the Flash $4.5 M $14.6 M
10 Trainwreck $3.8 M $97.9 M
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Published by
Dave Davis