"Straight Outta Compton" helped bring August out of its box-office funk after debuting with a solid $56.1 million.
Such a robust haul is not shocking given the strong word of mouth and huge fan following for N.W.A, the iconic rap group on which the movie is based. The movie has the biggest August opening ever for an R-rated film, and it has become the No. 1 musical biopic.
The film, co-financed by Universal Pictures and Legendary Pictures for $28 million, follows N.W.A. from its scrappy beginnings in the mid-‘80s to its unlikely success and the death of member Eazy-E.