Universal Pictures has been having an incredible year at thebox officethis year, with three of the top five movies coming from the studio. The studio produced the year’s top-grossing movieJurassic World($637.9 million domestic), along withFurious 7(#3, $351 million) andMinions(#5, $312.9 million), so far, and they have another hit on their hands withStraight Outta Compton, which took in $56.1 million during its opening weekend, easily taking the top spot at the box office, according toBox Office Mojo.
TheN.W.A.biopic earned an astonishing $20,348 per-screen average from 2,757 theaters, opening in nearly 1,000 theaters less thanMission: Impossible Rogue Nation(3,700 theaters) and the weekend’s other new release,The Man from U.N.C.L.E.(3,638 theaters). Those two movies took the second and third spots at the box office, respectively, withMission: Impossible Rogue Nationtaking in $17.3 million in its third weekend, for a three-week domestic gross of $138.4 million, whileThe Man from U.N.C.L.E.opened in third place with a disappointing $13.5 million, with a paltry $3,720 per-screen average. Both movies are faring well with critics, withMission: Impossible Rogue Nationscoring an impressive 93% “Fresh” rating from Rotten Tomatoes, withThe Man from U.N.C.L.E.scoring a 67% “Fresh” rating.
IfStraight Outta Comptonkeeps pulling in big numbers, it could end up being Universal’s fourth movie to crack $300 million domestic this year.Jurassic WorldandFurious 7have already cracked $1 billion worldwide, andMinionscurrently stands at $957 million worldwide. If it breaks $1 billion, it set yet another box office record, making it the first studio in history to have three $1 billion movies in the same calendar year. It remains to be seen ifStraight Outta Comptonwill be able to crack $1 billion, but with this strong opening, it’s certainly possible.
Already a box office disappointment, 20th Century Fox’sFantastic Fourdropped a massive 68.9% to take fourth place this weekend with just $8 million, earning a horrendous $1,998 per-screen average from 4,004 theaters. Thesuperhero moviehas earned just $41.9 million domestically, with an additional $60.1 million internationally for a worldwide total of $102 million. The indie thrillerThe Giftdropped from third place to fifth place this weekend with $6.5 million.
Rounding out the top 10 isAnt-Man($5.5 million, $157.5 million domestic),Vacation($5.3 million, $46.8 million domestic),Minions($5.2 million, $312.9 million domestic),Ricki and the Flash($4.7 million, $14.6 million) andTrainwreck($3.7 million, $97.9 million domestic). Debuting in limited release this weekend wasMistress America, which opened with an impressive $94,000 from just theaters, with a solid $23,500 per-screen average and People, Places, Things with $31,000, earning $1,632 per-screen from 19 theaters. Paulette opened in just one theater this weekend, earning $8,000.
Next week, we’ll break down four new movies coming out in wide release, Lionsgate’sAmerican Ultra, starringKristen StewartandJesse Eisenberg, 20th Century Fox’svideo gameadaptationHitman: Agent 47, starringRupert FriendandZachary Quinto, and Focus Features’horror moviesequelSinister 2, starringShannyn Sossamon. Also opening in limited release is Digging for Fire,Grandma, Learning to Drive andShe’s Funny That Way. Which is these new releases will take the top spot at the box office next weekend? Let us know what you think, after you check out our predicted top 10 for this weekend.
