Universal’s monster year of shattering expectations continues as F. Gary Gray's Straight Outta Compton has pulled in $24.3 million off Friday showings, and is currently on track to make $57 million. According to Variety, the film was made on a budget of $29 million, and was originally pegged to open between $25 – 29 million, but it looks like it will leave that prediction in the dust.

Because the biopic has over-performed, Universal will now pass the $2 billion domestic marker in record time, smashing the previous record of December 25, 2009, which was set by Warner Bros. Also, since it’s still August and Universal still has more big movies on the way (Everest, Crimson Peak, and Steve Jobs just to name a few), the studio is likely to shatter Warner Bros.’ all-time domestic box office record of $2.1 billion. This is all from a studio that doesn’t own a single superhero in the age of superhero movies.

As for this week’s other wide release, Guy Ritchie’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E. grossed a modest $4.8 million by Friday night at 3,638 locations, and is poised to bring in about $13 million total for the weekend. Perhaps it’s time for Armie Hammer to stop starring in movies based off TV shows his parents and grandparents might have enjoyed.


Here’s Fridays top six films based on studio estimates. Check back tomorrow for this weekend's box office results.

 Title

Friday

Total

1.

 Straight Outta Compton

$24,300,000

$24.3

2.

 M:I – Rogue Nation

$4,890,000

$138.1

3.

 The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

$4,800,000

$4.8

4.

 Fantastic Four

$2,400,000

$41.8

5.

 The Gift

$1,920,000

$23.2

6.

 Ant-Man

$1,500,000

$153.6


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Image via Universal Pictures