Universal owes the members of N.W.A. a thank you card, because the rappers’ lives have helped the studio reach a new domestic box office record.
The studio celebrated crossing the $2 billion mark at the North American box office on Saturday in record time, thanks to the unexpected explosion of biopic “Straight Outta Compton,” which grossed $24.2 million on Friday, and is headed toward a $55 million weekend.
Universal will overtake the speed record previously set by Warner Bros., which reached $2 billion on December 25, 2009, and is poised to steal one more record from the rival studio when it crosses Warner Bros.’ $2.1 billion all-time domestic haul later this year.
“Straight Outta Compton” is on track for one of the biggest August and R-rated openings ever. Even better for Universal, it will be the studio’s sixth film to hit No. 1 in what has been an incredible year for the company that released blockbusters including “Jurassic World,” “Pitch Perfect 2” and “Furious 7.”
The landslide victory against Warner Bros.’ weekend opener “Man From U.N.C.L.E.,” which is only expected to earn $13 million, is yet another in a series of highs for Universal. In June, the studio celebrated the quickest rise to $1 billion domestic ever, and broke the record for the highest-grossing box office year in global industry history when it reached $5.53 billion worldwide last week.
“We knew that 2015 was going to be a special year, and were hopeful that our varied slate of franchise tentpoles, sequels and original films would resonate with audiences’ diverse moviegoing tastes,” Nick Carpou, president of domestic distribution, said in a statement. “This milestone contributes to a win for our entire industry in a year that continues to see healthy growth and is on pace to be among the biggest ever. We applaud our friends and partners in exhibition, whose optimistic support has been essential to our success.”