Who'd have thought a music biopic would open to the same numbers as a Mission: Impossible movie, huh? But this is quite a success, once again for Universal, which opened the NWA story Straight Outta Compton to both good reviews and astounding box office, with $56 million over the weekend. That sets several records here, for the biggest musical biopic opening of all time, blowing past Walk the Line's $22 million ten years ago, and the biggest R-rated August opening ever. It received an "A" Cinemascore, so strong legs could be in order, and it helps Universal become the first studio to cross $2 billion at the box office in eight months- and this is impressive, with not a single superhero movie on their slate this year, but a diverse array of hits tht include Furious 7, Minions, Jurassic World, Fifty Shades of Grey and Pitch Perfect 2.
The second new release this weekend flopped, with The Man From U.N.C.L.E. coming in with a paltry $13 million- the movie cost $75 million and earned just a "B" from audiences, and it couldn't even place second, opening behind MI:5, which held strong again for a $17 million third weekend, and a new total of $138 million domestically. Fantastic Four plummeted from its weak opening last weekend for just $8 million this time, while The Gift rounded out the top five, having now earned almost $25 million off a $5 million budget, which makes it a success for the new studio STX, which released it.
Top 5:
- Straight Outta Compton- $56.1 million
- Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation- $17 million
- The Man From U.N.C.L.E.- $13.5 million
- Fantastic Four- $8 million
- The Gift- $6.5 million
In limited release, Mistress America did okay, opening on four screens for $94k and a per theater average of $23k, but that's less than Baumbach's other film from earlier this year, While We're Young, so we'll have to see how it holds among the struggling indies. Next week it's Sinister 2, American Ultra, the Hitman sequel, and Lily Tomlin's Grandma in limited release. We're probably looking at a weak slate for the near future, with fall approaching and not a lot of highly anticipated films coming out until October, so we'll have to see if anything surprises at the box office while the Oscar ready movies start premiering at the film festivals. See you next time!
