Late August to mid-Sept are the real dog days of summer for movies. Studios and distributors sharply cut down distribution of their major films, and release their more "Iffy" box office pictures. Meanwhile smaller distributors use the late summer gap to release their films hoping that they can fill in the void and maybe attract some filmgoers.. Sometimes that tactic works; and sometimes it doesn’t.
As for this weekend, once again, for the third week in a row, "Straight Outta Compton" was number one, though it took a hit of nearly 50%. But it still did well enough to make $13 million, for an over $134 million total take to date, heading for $150 million.
Affirm, which is TriStar/Sony Pictures’ faith-based distribution arm, used the late summer gap to release "War Room" and it performed very well, even just edging out "Compton" at the box office on Friday. But it still came in second this weekend with $11 million, which is over three times the very modest $3 million production budget for the film.
The white paranoia “white-family-running-for-their–lives-from-crazed-Asians-with-machetes,” better known as "No Escape," performed so-so. With one of the biggest theatrical releases ever for a Weinstein Co film, opening on over 3300 screens, the film pulled in just $10.3 million.
In the meantime, the Zac Efron Warner film, "We Are Your Friends," bombed. And when I say it bombed, I mean it totally, completely, embarrassingly bombed, making only $1.8 million this weekend. It didn’t even make the top 12 list! Ouch! That has to hurt. That hurts as much as Warner’s "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." which has become the studio’s biggest bomb this year, since "Jupiter Ascending."
"Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation" continues to hold on with over $170 million domestically, and over half a billion worldwide to date. "Jurassic World" is still in the top ten, with an amazing $643 million domestically, and $1.7 billion. And "The Gift" continues to be the indie breakout film of the summer.
1) Straight Outta Compton Uni. $13,240,000 Total: $134,126,000
2) War Room TriS $11,000,000
3) Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation Par. $8,300,000 Total: $170,387,000
4) No Escape Wein. $8,288,000 Total: $10,349,000
5) Sinister 2 Focus $4,650,000 Total: $18,512,000
6) The Man From U.N.C.L.E. WB $4,410,000 Total: $34,122,000
7) Hitman: Agent 47 Fox $3,850,000 Total: $15,271,000
8) The Gift (2015) STX $3,134,000 Total: $35,960,000
9) Jurassic World Uni. $3,120,000 Total: $643,088,000
10) Ant-Man BV $3,054,000 Total: $169,187,000
11) Minions Uni. $2,920,000 Total: $324,801,000
12) American Ultra LGF $2,800,000 Total: $10,488,000