LOS ANGELES -- Straight Outta Compton topped the box office for the second weekend in a row and crossed $100 million domestically after just nine days in release.
Though the film dropped 56 percent from its opening weekend, it added an estimated $26.4 million, bringing its haul in U.S. and Canadian theaters to $111 million. If estimates hold, Straight Outta Compton also will help give Universal Pictures, co-producer and distributor of the film, its 13th weekend atop the domestic box office, following the success of Jurassic World and Minions.
Compton follows iconic rap group N.W.A. from its scrappy beginnings in the mid-'80s to its commercial and creative success, followed by the death of member Eazy-E. N.W.A. members Dr. Dre, whose real name is Andre Young, and Ice Cube, aka O'Shea Jackson, served as co-producers.
More modest debuts of three new films did little to boost the overall box office. Ticket sales last weekend were expected to be down 5 percent to 6 percent from the same weekend last year, according to film-tracking firm Rentrak.
Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation took the No. 2 spot, adding $11.5 million in its fourth weekend. The Paramount film starring Tom Cruise has made $157.5 million domestically to date.
"It's no surprise that strong holdovers would rule again because it's a typically slow time of year," said Phil Contrino, vice president and chief analyst at BoxOffice.com. "I think a lot of studios are hesitant to open strong new movies at this time of year. It's pretty standard. Same thing happened last year, when Guardians of the Galaxy dominated at this time too."
Of the new films out last weekend, Sinister 2 drew the most moviegoers. The R-rated horror flick fell slightly short of expectations, earning $10.5 million to nab the No. 3 spot.
Gramercy Pictures, Focus Features' genre label, released the micro-budget Blumhouse Productions film. The sequel to 2012's Sinister follows a mother and her twin sons after they find themselves in a house where they're marked for death by an evil spirit.
About 51 percent of moviegoers were female, and 57 percent were 25 or younger. Their average grade for the film was a B-minus, according to audience polling firm CinemaScore.
By comparison, Sinister, which was released by Summit Entertainment, earned $18 million domestically at the box office its first weekend. The film went on to gross more than $48 million in the United States and Canada.
Twentieth Century Fox's Hitman: Agent 47 debuted in fourth with $8.3 million, falling short of the $10 million to $16 million tracking estimates.
The action-thriller, directed by Aleksander Bach, is based on a popular video game series. It stars Homeland actor Rupert Friend as genetically enhanced assassin Agent 47. Audiences, who gave it a B grade on CinemaScore, skewed male (61 percent) and older than 25 (60 percent).
Warner Bros.' The Man From U.N.C.L.E. rounded out the top five in its second weekend. It made $7.3 million Friday through Sunday, raising its total $26.5 million. The action-adventure film, very loosely based on the 1960s TV series, stars Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer and Alicia Vikander.
Lionsgate's American Ultra, the third new offering last weekend, opened at No. 6 with $5.5 million. Audiences for the film, which stars Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart, were skewed male (56 percent) and older (65 percent older than 25). The film notched a B-minus grade on CinemaScore.
In limited release, Sony Pictures Classics debuted Grandma to $120,856 in just four theaters, a per-location average of $30,214, the highest of the week.
Fox Searchlight also expanded its art-house film Mistress America to 32 theaters in eight markets, including Phoenix, San Francisco, Boston and Chicago. In its second weekend, the Noah Baumbach-directed film, co-written by Greta Gerwig, added $237,000. Its total domestic haul is about $378,000 after 10 days in limited release.
Despite the lackluster weekend, the 2015 box office is up about 6.1 percent year to date, according to Rentrak. The total haul so far for 2015 is about $7.5 billion, up from the $7 billion from the same time last year. Analysts credit the robust year to a diverse slate filled with blockbusters, surprise hits and strong holdovers that continue to collect revenue even after falling out of the top 10.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Rentrak:
1. Straight Outta Compton, Universal, $26,364,020, 3,025 locations, $8,715 average, $111,087,490, two weeks.
2. Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation, Paramount, $11,451,746, 3,442 locations, $3,327 average, $157,514,785, four weeks.
3. Sinister 2, Focus Features, $10,542,116, 2,766 locations, $3,811 average, $10,542,116, one week.
4. Hitman: Agent 47, 20th Century Fox, $8,326,530, 3,261 locations, $2,553 average, $8,326,530, one week.
5. The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Warner Bros., $7,317,374, 3,673 locations, $1,992 average, $26,534,214, two weeks.
6. American Ultra, Lionsgate, $5,454,284, 2,778 locations, $1,963 average, $5,454,284, one week.
7. The Gift, STX Entertainment, $4,282,360, 2,303 locations, $1,859 average, $31,035,523, three weeks.
8. Ant-Man, Disney, $4,055,465, 2,016 locations, $2,012 average, $164,491,835, six weeks.
9. Minions, Universal, $3,828,720, 2,226 locations, $1,720 average, $320,084,045, seven weeks.
10. Fantastic Four, 20th Century Fox, $3,733,632, 2,581 locations, $1,447 average, $49,708,994, three weeks.
11. Vacation, Warner Bros., $3,018,405, 2,302 locations, $1,311 average, $52,191,661, four weeks.
12. Ricki and the Flash, Columbia, $2,982,315, 2,013 locations, $1,482 average, $20,232,485, three weeks.
13. Trainwreck, Universal, $2,460,015, 1,333 locations, $1,845 average, $102,394,125, six weeks.
14. Pixels, Columbia, $2,144,316, 1,349 locations, $1,590 average, $68,556,505, five weeks.
15. Inside Out, Disney, $1,594,360, 821 locations, $1,942 average, $342,353,075, 10 weeks.
16. Shaun the Sheep Movie, Lionsgate, $1,513,365, 1,678 locations, $902 average, $14,518,817, three weeks.
17. Southpaw, The Weinstein Co., $1,174,761, 1,058 locations, $1,110 average, $48,062,035, five weeks.
18. Jurassic World, Universal, $947,550, 574 locations, $1,651 average, $639,568,530, 11 weeks.
19. Mr. Holmes, Roadside Attractions, $587,270, 433 locations, $1,356 average, $15,370,933, six weeks.
20. The End of the Tour, A24 Films, $558,173, 355 locations, $1,572 average, $1,724,091, four weeks.
MovieStyle on 08/28/2015