Universal Has Another Hit as “Compton” Wins Weekend

By Kip Mooney • On • In News News 0

BOX OFFICE REPORT 

August 14-16, 2015(estimates from BoxOfficeMojo.com)

TOP 51. Straight Outta Compton ($56.1 million)2. Mission: Impossible 5 ($17.3 million)3. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. ($13.5 million)4. Fantastic Four ($8.0 million)5. The Gift ($6.5 million)

Straight Outta Compton went straight to the top. Who knew that a biopic about rappers known most for beer commercials and headphones would have a bigger opening than Tom Cruise, a Marvel Comics team and the return of the Terminator. Propelled by an incredible soundtrack, marketing that hyped up its rebellious spirit, and a serendipitous timing that tied the film's "F"” the Police" ethos to current events, Straight Outta Compton made an estimated $56.1 million.

That left two spy flicks to duke it out for No. 2. Mission: Impossible "“ Rogue Nation won that battle. It made $17.3 million this weekend, brings its cumulative total to nearly $138 million thus far. It won't hit $200 million, but should top the third entry in the series. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. took a suave retro approach to its espionage, but it failed to connect with audiences. The film opened in third place with $13.5 million.

Meanwhile, Fantastic Four continued its nearly historic disaster of a run, falling nearly 70 percent. In 10 days, it hasn't even crossed the $50 million mark. The Gift rounded out the top five, falling only 45 percent. Good word-of-mouth has kept the lower-budget thriller humming along. It's already quadrupled its budget, something Fantastic Four won't ever be able to say.

Outside the top 5: - This Weekend's Indie Champ: Mistress America, Noah Baumbach's modern farce starring his muse Greta Gerwig, averaged $23,500 on four screens.

- Jermaine Clement's bid to be a big leading man might need another go. His romantic dramedy People Places Things only made $31,000 on 19 screens.

- Though it never managed to come close to the success of The Fault in Our Stars, Paper Towns has turned into a modest hit, making $30 million so far on a $12 million budget.

Next week: Three movies jockey for the top spot, but will any of them be enough to unseat NWA? I think not. Stoner comedy American Ultra looks the best out of the three, but Pineapple Express is the exception rather than the rule when it comes to these baked goods. Hitman: Agent 47 is going to be another in a long line of failed video game adaptations. That leaves Sinister 2 to scare up some dough. It has the best shot, but I don't think $22 million will be more than what Straight Outta Compton makes in its second weekend. 

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About Kip Mooney

Kip Mooney
Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about. I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague. Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work. In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo. I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.

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