Friday Report: 'Straight Outta Compton' Attracts Huge Crowds, 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' Doesn't Go Boom

     Friday was ruled by rap biopic 'Straight Outta Compton', which pulled in a solid $24.2 million. That is the fourth biggest opening day for an August release, behind 'Guardians of the Galaxy' ($37.8m), 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' ($25.6m), and 'The Bourne Ultimatum' ($24.7m). It is also way ahead of Eminem's film debut '8 Mile' ($19.6m) and outpaced the entire opening weekend of 'Notorious' ($20.5m). It will likely have legs going into the weekend due to strong reviews (88% on Rotten Tomatoes), which will avoid front-loading from the N.W.A.'s fanbase rushing out on opening day. An opening in the range of $55-$60 million is a lock, and a solid debut nonetheless.
     'Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation', which led the box office for 13 of the past 14 days, dropped down to second for $4.875 million, which was down a solid 40.3% from last Friday when superhero flop 'Fantastic Four' debuted to first place. The $150m Tom Cruise led spy action flick should be able to get past $16 million for the weekend.

     'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' placed in a very close third, grossing a modest $4.865 million. The $75m Guy Ritchie directed spy adaptation opened slightly below expectations, which ranged from $15-$20 million. That is much lower than the $20.3 million debut of 'Rogue Nation' earlier this year, and well below the $14.7 million debut of 2006's 'Casino Royale'. With a so-so 68% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, a three-day take of $14.5 million is most likely.
     Speaking of 'Fantastic Four', the $120m Marvel-based superhero team-up from Fox plummeted a ghastly 78.7% from opening day, grossing  a paltry $2.4 million. 'Fantastic Four' has been acting front-loaded thus far due to critics and audiences alike panning it (8% for critics and 22% for audiences on RT, respectively). A dismal second weekend take of around $7.5 million is in place.
      'The Gift' rounded out Friday's Top 5 with an estimated $1.9 million, falling 53.3% from its opening day. The $5m Joel Edgerton psychological thriller should earn around $6-$7 million for the weekend.

Weekend Forecast (Updated)

1. 'Straight Outta Compton' - $59.3 million

2. 'Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation' - $16.7 million (-41.4%)

3. 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' - $14.7 million

4. 'Fantastic Four' - $7.2 million (-72%)

5. 'The Gift' - $6.1 million (-48.7%)