‘Straight Outta Compton’ beats out box office for third week in a row

LOS ANGELES // Straight Outta Compton grabbed another top spot on weekend ticket sales charts, according to estimates Sunday, extending the rap film's rule over the North American Box office for its third week running.

The film about pioneering rap group N.W.A. took in some $13.2 million in sales, box office tracker Exhibitor Relations said. It was half the haul Straight Outta Compton had last week but took the film's total take-in to $134.13 million.

The movie, named after the 1988 studio album that gave birth to the gangsta rap genre, tackles themes of race in America and seems to have struck a chord with movie goers at a time when protests over racism and police shootings are in the headlines.

Straight Outta Compton beat out Sony's debut of Christian-faith drama War Room.

The film, full of religious messages, follows a couple’s marital strife and their daughter’s decision to help out. It took in an estimated $11 million in its debut weekend.

Knocked down to the number three spot was Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation, the fifth instalment of the heart-pounding Tom Cruise action franchise. The film brought in $8.3 million, bringing its total haul to $170.4 million in its fifth week.

Coming in fourth was another debut No Escape, an expat adventure film starring Owen Wilson as a father trying to save his family in the middle of a foreign country's political uprising. The film brought in $8.3 million.

Horror flick Sinister 2 was knocked down to the five spot on the box office list, with $4.7 million. Starring James Ransone and Shannyn Sossamon, the film is about a child's nightly visitations from ghoulish kids.

Warner Bros' The Man from U.N.C.L.E., a reboot of a 60s TV spy series, fell to sixth on the charts with $4.4 million in sales.

Action film Hitman: Agent 47, about a genetically engineered killer, came in seventh with $3.8 million in sales in its second week on the charts. The film, based on a video game, features a genetically modified killer and stars Rupert Friend.

In eighth was psychological thriller The Gift, which took in $3.1 million and stars Jason Bateman.

Ninth was massively successful Jurassic World in its twelfth week in the box office, having amassed $643 million in US sales with $3.1 million this week.

The fourth instalment in the dinosaur series has made more than $1.5 billion worldwide.

Taking the tenth spot on the charts was Disney's superhero flick Ant-Man with $3 million.

* Agence France-Presse