‘Straight Outta Compton’ Has Sights Set On $40 Million Opening, Has Universal Appeal
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Straight Outta Compton is a true biopic of the formation of a rap band on the sometimes mean and deadly streets of Compton, and definitely not suitable for all audiences. When Straight Outta Compton hits the theaters this week, it is expected to bring in approximately $40 million or more, according to Variety. The music biography, focused on the iconic rap group N.W.A., seems likely to keep Universal’s lucrative streak at the 2015 box office on track following its hits with Jurassic World, Minions, Trainwreck, Furious 7, and most notoriously, the much anticipated Fifty Shades of Grey.
Even the most conservative estimates for Straight Outta Compton, financed by Legendary Pictures with a budget of $29 million, have placed the debut in the $25 million to $29 million range, earning back the money spent on production in one weekend of box office sales. That’s comparable, when considering economic inflation, to the earnings of Notorious B.I.G.’s Notorious in 2009.
While Straight Outta Compton will hold cultural appeal for African Americans and its most prevalent viewers are expected to be male movie-goers, what has been surprising about the tracking demographics, said VP Phil Contrino and chief analyst at BoxOffice.com, is that the movie is showing plenty of following in all demographics, from Latino to White female. This may be due to the fact that it’s largely about the inception of a group who had plenty of terrible odds against them, and takes place in one of the most crime-ridden cities in the United States, where dreams seem more likely to implode and die than come true, which makes the sobering reality of life in Compton a victory for many, likely because they are able to relate to some of the struggles that N.W.A has faced. Contrino said that is why the opening weekend is likely to be enormously successful.
” ‘Straight Outta Compton’ is looking like it will defy expectations of how a music biopic will perform. There’s a lot of buzz on it. The marketing is being done in broad strokes with themes such as free speech that will resonate with the general audience.”
Straight Outta Compton is directed by F. Gary Gray and is debuting in approximately 2,751 North American theaters on Friday. O’Shea Jackson Jr. plays his own real-life father, Ice Cube, while Corey Hawkins stars as Dr. Dre and Jason Mitchell plays Eazy-E, the original members of N.W.A. Producers of the movie are original members Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, as well as Tomica Woods-Wright, Matt Alvarez, Gray, and Scott Bernstein. Preliminary reviews have been impressive, with Rotten Tomatoes giving it a 92 percent thumbs-up, according to Vanity Fair. See you in Compton!
[Image Courtesy of Jamie Trueblood / Universal Studios]
