Box Office Report 08-17-15 (Straight Outta Compton, Man From U.N.C.L.E)

I've decided to try something a little different. I've always been a fan of websites or video channels that report on the box office earnings of movies every week. After listening and watching so many, I've started to find this information on my own and form my own opinions. After doing this independently for many months, I've decided to use this useless knowledge to my advantage and form a new article series. So, without further ado, here is the top 5 for the week of August 17th, 2015!

#5

The Gift - $6.5 Million

In it's second weekend, the Joel Edgerton directed and produced thriller is holding strong at number five, moving two places down the list. Down just over 40%, "The Gift" is already a hit for Blumhouse productions, with a current total of $23.5 million, which more than covers its $5 million budget. It would seem that Blumhouse's strategy of making movies on the cheap is continuing to payoff, after hits like "The Purge" and "Insidious", and lesser but still successful films like "The Lazarus Effect" and "The Gallows".  "The Gift" is also on the short list of non-horror themed releases from the company, joining the likes of Oscar winning "Whiplash". Mixed with its incredible reviews from critics and good word of mouth, "The Gift" will likely stay in the top 10 for a few more weeks, but it may not last through September as bigger releases start to roll in, including Blumhouse's own "Sinister 2".

#4

Fantastic Four - $8.1 Million

What a train wreck this has been. Premiering at number two last week, Fox's "Fantastic Four" reboot has only sunken further down the list. Falling 68.2%, which is abysmal for summer blockbusters, this film has been plagued with terrible critical and audience reactions (It currently has 8% critic approval and 22% audience approval on Rotten Tomatoes), which have been blamed for its poor performance. Having only made $42.1 and needing to double $120 million, it's unlikely that even the worldwide box office can save this flop. In the end, "Fantastic Four" was doomed from the start, and it's likely to fall out of the top 10 by the end of month, if not sooner.

#3

The Man From U.N.C.L.E - $13.4 Million

While not as big a disaster as "Fantastic Four", "U.N.C.L.E"'s lack luster opening weekend leaves a lot to be desired. The reboot of the 1960's t.v. series has been in production for decades, but now it would appear to have been a lost cause. Though it has a cast of movie stars in the making, "Man of Steel"'s Henry Cavill and "The Lone Ranger"'s Armie Hammer in the leading roles, this spy film just couldn't catch any heat. With a reported $75 million budget, this film has the possibility of being saved by the foreign release, but that remains to be seen.

#2

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation - $17.1 Million

Slightly dropping from its two week rain at number one, the latest "Mission Impossible" sees another profitable weekend in the face of more competition. With a 39.7% drop and a total gross of $138.3 million, the Tom Cruise franchise is shown to still have some legs in the heavy

 blockbuster season. Now that a sequel is most definitely in the works, it looks as if Cruise's rise back to stardom has found its place with "Mission Impossible", but hopefully he can keep the momentum going after three years of solid films. 

 #1

Straight Outta Compton - $60.2 Million

The highly acclaimed bio-pic about 90's rap group N.W.A has shattered previously held predictions of a $40 million opening and is currently the fourth biggest opening of August, right ahead of "Signs" but missing "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" by five million, but at this point who's complaining. The film's success can be attributed to multiple factors; there's the overwhelmingly positive reactions from critics and audiences, who all came out of the theater with glowing praise. Another is the appeal to multiple generations, those being the youth of the early 90's who lived through this and the youth of today who know the names (Ice Cube, Dr. Dre) but not the origins. There's also the timely issues of police brutality and the worth of black lives, which are central themes of not only the film but N.W.A's music. While it's not a surprise that "Compton" was a hit, no one expected it to be as big a hit as it is, especially with an R rating and cast of unknown actors. 

Next Week's Predictions

There are three big releases this weekend, "Hitman: Agent 47", "Sinister 2" and "American Ultra". "Sinister" is expected to be the biggest earner, while "American Ultra" will find a comfortable spot somewhere in the middle. "Hitman" will be the black sheep, probably bombing hard in the next few days. Yet, none of them will top "Straight Outta Compton", which is expected to hold its throne for a least one more week.