Friday Report: 'Compton' Continues Making Money, 'Hitman' Misses the Mark while 'Sinister' and 'Ultra' Don't Thrill

     It looks like a slow weekend at the box office is a lock, as three new wide releases fail to unseat 'Straight Outta Compton' from the top spot on Friday.
     Rap biopic 'Straight Outta Compton' added $8.3 million yesterday, bringing its domestic cume to a very strong $93 million in eight days of release. It had a sharp decline from opening day however (-65.6%), although that is common in rap movies ('8 Mile' dropped 66.3% and 'Notorious' fell 78.7%). Riding on a wave of solid buzz and word-of-mouth (89% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes and 'A' on CinemaScore), a second weekend finish of around $28 million is likely.
     Horror sequel 'Sinister 2' scared up a lackluster $4.7 million (including $850k from Thursday night previews). That is way below the first film's $7.4 million opening day back in 2012, and way, way off from the $20.2 million opening of 'Insidious Chapter 2'. With reviews in the cellar (12% on RT) and middling audience reception (46% on RT), a front-loaded opening of around $10-13 million should be a lock. Still, the film only cost $10 million to make, so this is still a success, but a rather disappointing one.
     'Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation' continued to hold well against the new releases, falling 32% from last Friday and making $3.3 million. The $150-million spy action flick has so far grossed a solid $149.4 million, and a fourth weekend of $11 million is possible.
     Video game adaptation and series reboot 'Hitman: Agent 47' misfired with just $3.1 million ($600k of that coming from Thursday night screenings). That is less than half of the $6.7 million start of last March's 'Need for
Speed', and well below the original 'Hitman''s $5.2 million Friday gross, and even falls short of the $4.4 million Wednesday take of 'Hitman'. The $35-million action thriller from Fox has so far been panned by critics (7% on RT), and audiences aren't particularly fond of it either (57% on RT). This film will probably go on to earn $7 million or more for the three-day weekend.
     'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' slipped 54.5% from opening day to earn $2.2 million. The disappointing $75-million spy comedy starring Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer has so far took in an uneventful $21.4 million in eight days, and a $6.5 million second weekend is in 'U.N.C.L.E.''s sights.
     Opening outside the Top 5, 'American Ultra', the $12-million Jesse Eisenberg/Kristen Stewart led action comedy from Lionsgate, mustered up a so-so $2.1 million (including $425k from Thursday night previews). A lackluster debut of around $5-6 million should be in reach.

Weekend Forecast

1. 'Straight Outta Compton' - $27.6 million (-54.2%)

2. 'Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation' - $11.7 million (-32%)

3. 'Sinister 2'- $10.1 million

4. 'Hitman: Agent 47' - $8.2 million
5. 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' - $7.5 million (-44%)

6. 'American Ultra' - $6.1 million