Box Office Preview: New Films Won't Beat 'Compton'
by EG
According to the early numbers, none of the three big new film releases this weekend is likely to draw more viewers than last week's top-grossing movie, Straight Outta Compton. That's no surprise, considering the predictably slow back-to-school weekend, the newcomers' lackluster appeal, and 'Compton's' somewhat surprising success.
The most successful of the new films looks to be Sinister 2. The horror sequel took in $850,000 at Thursday showings and seems to be on pace to earn between $14 and $16 million for the weekend. Hitman: Agent 47, a video game adaptation, did $600,000 in business on Thursday and will probably bring in between $10 and $12 million over the weekend. In last place among the newcomers is American Ultra, an action comedy; it earned just $425,000 on Thursday and probably won't break $8 million for the weekend.
None of those numbers compare to what 'Compton' is expected to earn. The NWA biopic should bring in about $30 million this weekend, and that will be added to the $80.2 million that it's already earned. The film is the latest in a string of hits - including Jurrasic World, Furious 7, Minions, Pitch Perfect 2 and Trainwreck - that's making this summer shape up to be a pretty good one for Universal.