The three-day Labor Day weekend is traditionally a holiday period that puts the breaks on the box office in the States – summer is officially winding to a close, and studios feel audiences will be out enjoying themselves, so fewer big titles chance a release slot. And indeed, the newcomers didn’t exactly do much business, with a not-so-newcomer surprising everyone by jumping up to take the top spot, as War Room overtook Straight Outta Compton for $9.3 million in its second weekend, according to studio estimates.
A Christianity-focused family drama that had been largely lambasted by critics, War Room nevertheless opened strong in second place last week and has now surged to score the top seat, making $24.6 million so far in its brief run. And that’s showing on 1,525 screens, far fewer than Compton’s 3,097. Still, the N.W.A. biopic did well enough in its fourth week of release to earn $8.8 million.
Surprisingly, top of the new films was Bill Bryson adaptation A Walk In The Woods, with Robert Redford and Nick Nolte starring in a gentle comedy drama. Reviewers had mostly told the duo to take a hike, but some savvy marketing to older audiences saw the film outpace the much splashier The Transporter Refueled. Walk took in $8.4 million in third, ahead of Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, which fell one place to fourth. With $7.1 million this weekend and a $180.3 million US total, the film has earned a global haul of $509 million, still far from the heights of Ghost Protocol, but a success nonetheless. And it’s gearing up for an opening in China, which could well help boost matters, given that even Terminator Genisys received a warm welcome.
The Transporter Refueled, meanwhile, with Ed Skrein stepping into Jason Statham’s driving seat, didn’t connect quite as well, making $7.1 million in fifth despite opening on 3,434 screens to Walk’s 1,960. EuropaCorp will be hoping for better things internationally. Owen Wilson/ Lake Bell thriller **No Escape **dropped a couple of places to sixth, earning $5.4 million, while The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was down to seventh and $3.45 million. Almost neck and neck with Solo and Kuryakin was Spanish-language Mexican release Un Gallo Con Muchos Huevos (A Rooster With Many Eggs), which was well received (audiences gave it a rare A+ CinemaScore rating) and took in $3.4 million on just 395 screens.
**Sinister 2 slipped a few spots to ninth with $3.3 million, while Pixar’s Inside Out **added more than 2,200 screens and jumped back into the top ten for a final wide release over the holiday, earning $3.1 million, and bringing its US total to $348.2 million. Globally, the film has earned $734.4 million and is the second-highest earning entry from the ‘toon studio. And now we’re thinking about Bing Bong again. Did... did the room just get dusty?
To see a church congregation overtake a group of rappers in the full listings, head to Box Office Mojo.