“Straight Outta Compton,” the biopic about hip hop group N.W.A, is poised to four-peat this weekend, the first time a movie has done so since “Furious 7” in April.
For four consecutive weeks, it reigned the box office throne, and “Straight Outta Compton” is expected to do the same this weekend, adding another $10 million.
The Universal film, which has made $136.8 million so far, should top this weekend’s newcomers, “The Transporter Refueled” and “A Walk in the Woods,” two movies that are anticipated to open under $10 million over the four-day holiday weekend.
Broad Green Pictures’ “A Walk in the Woods,” starring Robert Redford and Nick Nolte in an adaptation of Bill Bryson’s best-selling travel memoir, is the latest entry in a wave of older-skewing indie films that have dominated the specialty box office this year.
The decision to release the film in roughly 1,950 theaters was relatively recent, Broad Green distribution president Travis Reid told TheWrap. “We were originally thinking of a more narrow release, maybe 500 to 800 theaters,” he said. Because of media interest, promotional partnerships and the book’s re-release hitting the best-seller list, he said, “We realized that we had a shot at a larger audience than we’d originally anticipated.”
“A Walk in the Woods” got a jump start on the Labor Day weekend when it opened Wednesday. Analysts expect it to take $7 million over the four-day weekend, and a total of $9 million over its first six days.
Compared to this weekends’ other movies, director Ken Kwapis‘ film is squarely aimed at mature audiences, with leading men that have been on the big screen for nearly six decades — Redford is 79, Nolte is 74. That formula has worked for several films like “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” and “The Woman in Gold” which have outperformed riskier, younger-skewing indies so far this year.
“The Transporter Refueled” is also the first wide release from Relativity EuropaCorp Distribution, a joint venture between the French company and Ryan Kavanaugh‘s Relativity Media that falls outside Relativity’s bankruptcy proceedings since Kavanaugh’s company has only a minority stake.
The action film is tracking a little ahead of “Walk in the Woods” with $9 million over the four-day weekend.
“Transporter” stars Ed Skrein, Ray Stevenson and Loan Chabanol, and cost roughly $22 million to make. It is the fourth film in the “Transporter” franchise, but is the first starring Skrein as opposed to Jason Statham.