“Entourage” the movie got off to a surprisingly strong start at the box office Tuesday night, taking in a sizzling $2 million from early showings.

Whether that means that Warner Bros.’ big-screen version of HBO’s hit TV show will outstrip analysts’ projections for the weekend — which are for a soft $12-$15 million for the five days — remains to be seen, but it’s a great way to begin.

Writer-director Doug Ellin’s “Entourage” faces stiff competition this weekend despite getting a two-day head start. In addition to the current No. 1 film, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s earthquake epic “San Andreas,” Friday will bring strong newcomers in Fox’s Melissa McCarthy comedy “Spy” and the Jason Blum-produced horror film “Insidious: Chapter 3.”

Also Read: Why 'Entourage' May Find Itself Outside the Velvet Rope at Box Office

Ticket sales at Fandango, where “Entourage” was the No. 1 seller on Wednesday morning, offered another positive sign the R-rated comedy may top expectations. But this weekend’s competition, the fact that it’s been four years since the show was on TV and the difficulty many recent inside Hollywood films have had connecting in the Heartland, suggest otherwise.

Adrian Grenier returns as Vincent Chase, the show’s movie star who gets to direct in the big screen version, and Jeremy Piven is also back as Ari Gold, the super agent who turns studio chief. Kevin Connolly, Jerry Ferrara and Kevin Dillon from the series co-star, and Billy Bob Thornton and Haley Joel Osment join the cast.

There are, as was the case with the TV series, cameos by the boatload in the movie, including NFL stars Clay Matthews, Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman and Tom Brady, Mark Cuban, Liam Neeson, Jessica Alba and even Warren Buffett.

“Entourage” will be in 3,058 theaters on Wednesday, and 3,108 by Friday.

'Entourage' Real-Life Inspirations: Where Are the Hollywood Players Now? (Photos)

Vincent Chase (Adrien Grenier)
The main character of show and the movie, Vincent is a Hollywood actor with a crazy personal life. See the next slide for his real-life counterpart.
Warner Bros.
Mark Wahlberg is the inspiration for Vincent. He has been busy producing and acting in films such as "Ted," "The Fighter," "Lone Survivor," "Transformers" and "The Gambler." He has five projects coming up: "Patriot's Day," "Daddy's Home," "Entourage," "Ted 2" and "Deepwater Horizon."
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Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven)

Vincent's agent is known for his neurotic and obnoxious screaming fits, and his constant arguments with Vincent's manager, Eric. See which real-life personality inspired Ari on the next slide.
Warner Bros.
Hollywood agent Ari Emanuel inspired Jeremy Piven's character. Emanuel is the co-CEO of WME, and was instrumental in the WME/IMG merger in 2013.
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Johnny "Drama" Chase (Kevin Dillon)

Vincent's brother in the show always talks about his one line on the fictional series, "Viking Quest." Click on the next slide to see who inspired this character.
Warner Bros.
Drama was inspired by Johnny "Drama" Alves, Mark and Donnie's cousin. He was a consultant on "Entourage," and in 2014, A&E started airing the show, "The Wahlburgers," which goes behind-the-scenes of a restaurant run by Paul Wahlberg and his brothers, Mark and Donnie.
A&E
Eric "E" Murphy (Kevin Connolly)

The manager and best friend of Vincent would often take the heat from Ari for influencing the actor's career decisions. Click the next slide to see who inspired "E."
Warner Bros.
Mark Wahlberg's real-life manager, Eric Weinstein, inspired "E." He became the assistant to Wahlberg pretty early on, and has acted in features such as "Four Brothers," "Being John Malkovich" and "Travelers." A Manhattan native, he currently resides in the Upper West Side.
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Turtle (Jerry Ferrara)

A childhood friend of Vincent's was enlisted to be his driver. He also takes care of things around the house, like buying a Rottweiler for the gang. See the next slide for Turtle's real-life counterpart.
Warner Bros.
One of Mark Wahlberg's lifelong friends, Donnie Carroll actually passed away in 2005 at the age of 39, due to an asthma attack. He had grown up in Boston with Wahlberg and accompanied him to Hollywood when his career was launching.
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