The biopic about rap group NWA debuted to a blistering US$56.1 million (RM228.8 million) this weekend in 2,757 theatres, surpassing “American Pie 2” to become the biggest ever August debut for an R-rated movie.
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DuVernay, who is reported to be writing and directing a future project based on Hurricane Katrina, also talked about the treatment of women in the early days of hip-hop.
The site added that cops said the release of “Straight Outta Compton” should have been delayed until things calm down in the streets across the country.
“Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation“, which spent the past two weeks at #1, slips to #2 this week.
“Compton” grossed a whopping $56.1-million in its domestic debut, according to studio estimates Sunday, not only dwarfing the rest of this weekend’s competition (including the bow of “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.”), but also almost equalling the $57.2-million opening last month for Marvel’s “Ant-Man.”
At the premiere of “Straight Outta Compton” in L.A., Ice Cube says his son, O’Shea Jackson Jr., had him “down pat” in the N.W.A. biopic. The film probably won’t top $55 million in the states at this point and overseas numbers are slowing down already.
Ticket buyers skewed older. An estimated 52% of the audience was male. Let’s hope it finds it audience on VOD.
Goldstein also noted that the huge opening for “Straight Outta Compton” was unexpected. Instead, they diversified with action adventure tentpoles, animated films, dramas, and films like “Straight Outta Compton” – a movie that several studios passed on because they didn’t think it could justify its budget. Some, such as the comedies “Ride Along” and “Neighbors” and horror film “The Purge”, have turned into their own mini-franchises, with sequels scheduled for next year.
Psychological thriller “The Gift” starring Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall raked in $6.5 million for the number five spot.
Speaking of box office failures, Fantastic Four’s situation went from awful to even worse this weekend.
In limited release, Fox Searchlight rolled out “Mistress America” in four theaters in New York and Los Angeles.
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“Compton” opened on just 2,757 screens for a $20,348 per screen average.
