Straight Outta Compton and into the history books.
The N.W.A. biopic broke records with its $56.1 million haul at the weekend box office, more than doubling expectations set by Universal earlier in the week, according to tracking firm Rentrak. The sprawling hip-hop epic, which tracks the rise and rift of rap group N.W.A., had the biggest August opening ever for an R-rated film, ahead of American Pie 2‘s $45.1 million start in 2001.
It’s also the best opening ever for a music biopic, according to Box Office Mojo, leaping past Johnny Cash drama Walk the Line‘s $22.3 million launch in 2005, and performing on par with Eminem’s semi-autobiographical 8 Mile ($51.2 million) in 2002. It comes in just under the take of another music-driven summer hit, Pitch Perfect 2, which kicked off with a massive $69.2 million in May.
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