'Straight Outta Compton' Posts $5 Million Opening on Thursday

According to Variety.com, "Straight Outta Compton" earned an impressive $4.96 million on Thursday night. The first box office figures follow recent forecasts for a strong opening weekend of about $40 million. Universal's music biopic about the iconic rap group N.W.A has been generating strong interest among African-American and Caucasian male audiences. The title is taken from the group's debut 1988 album.

"Compton," directed by F. Gary Gray, is launching in approximately 2,751 North American theaters on Friday after showing on screens Thursday. O'Shea Jackson Jr. plays his father, Ice Cube, while Corey Hawkins stars as Dr. Dre and Jason Mitchell plays Eazy-E. Producers are original N.W.A members Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, along with Tomica Woods-Wright, Matt Alvarez, Gray and Scott Bernstein.

Law enforcement agencies increased their presence at theaters for Thursday night's opening in response to the potential problems amid the launch of the film, which includes scenes of gang violence and police harassment - including a re-enactment of a 1989 concert in Detroit as the band performs their song "F- tha Police."

STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON has received positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a rating of 87%, based on 82 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The site's consensus reads, "Straight Outta Compton is a biopic that's built to last, thanks to F. Gary Gray's confident direction and engaging performances from a solid cast." On Metacritic, it has a score of 71 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews"

Photo by: Universal