Straight Outta Compton To Be Clear Winner Of the Box Office

Sometimes I feel conflicted about predicting who could win the box office, but this ain't one of those times. There's no question Straight Outta Compton will make huge amounts of cash this weekend, thanks to being based on musical figures who have a huge presence in pop culture as well as a marketing effort from Universal Pictures that's made all the right movies at every turn, especially with the films first trailer that put the movie on everyones radar.

So how high does it go? I'm feeling a lot of buzz around this title, which I think will easily translate to a $40+ million opening. With no other major films on the horizon not to mention the forthcoming Labor Day holiday, this should hold well and likely get $135 million by the end of its run. Chalk this one up as yet another major win for Universal Studios, concluding an epic summer for the studio that's been chock full of massive hits like Jurassic World and Minions.

Warner Bros. is hopeful that Guy Ritchie can recapture the magic of Sherlock Holmes with his new movie The Man From U.N.C.L.E., with both films centering around already existing properties, are full of action and humor, star a male-centered mismatched duo and star a fellow who starred as a superhero that launched a cinematic universe. However, Henry Cavill is nowhere near Robert Donwey Jr. levels of fame and The Man Frm U.N.C.L.E. isn't anywhere close to being as well known as Sherlock Holmes. The feature has been marketed relentlessly, but it's doubtful it gets above $25 million in its opening weekend. However, the tinier budget (only $75 million) and its immense overseas appeal means this one will likely earn Warner Bros. a few pennies.

Holdover Fantastic Four is gonna plummet this weekend, mainly due to poor word-of-mouth that will capsize the release. A 65% dip like the one Green Lantern experienced back in June 2011 feels about right, which would lead to an $8.8 million second weekend. On the other hand, Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation should have another solid hold this go-around, likely in the low-40%s. The Gift seems to have strong word-of-mouth on its side, so it should likely lose just under 50%, while Ricki And The Flash is adding theaters this weekend, though it's tough to tell if word-of-mouth is strong enough to make such an expansion a lucrative idea.

Below are my opening weekend and final gross predictions for this weekends new releases, as well as my projections for this weekends Top 5 movies.

Straight Outta Compton
Opening Weekend: $44 million
Total Gross: $130 million

The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
Opening Weekend: $23 million
Total Gross: $75 million

1) Straight Outta Compton: $44 million
2) The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: $23 million
3) Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation: $17 million
4) Fantastic Four: $8 million
5) The Gift: $6 million