Universal is estimating that Straight Outta Compton made $56M in 2,757 theaters, a remarkable $20,345 per screen average. Compton easily bested the other wide release, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., which is under-performing with an estimated $13.5M.

The Top 12, at $133.6M, is up 4% from last year when The Expendables 3 shocked many by opening in 4th place with $15.9M, beaten not only by holdovers Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Guardians of the Galaxy but by the other newcomer to the schedule, Let's Be Cops, which opened to $17.8M.

If Compton ends up with actuals of $56M that would make it the sixth best August opening of all time, coming in ahead of 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes with $54M but behind Signs with $60M in 2002. The well-reviewed bio-pic of the rap group N.W.A., was produced, along with others, by original band members Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, as well as by their director, F. Gary Gray.

Internationally, Compton has only opened in Trinidad and other Caribbean Islands but domestically the film just helped Universal cross $2 billion at the box office on Saturday.

That demolishes, by four months, the previous record, formerly held by Warner Bros., which reached that milestone just at the end the year, on December 25, 2009.

In holdovers, that very same actor's Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation continued to hang on, making $17.3M, taking a gentle 39% decrease from last week, and claiming the #2 spot on the box office chart. On 3,700 theaters the film has a domestic cume of $138.4M.

Speaking of Warner Bros. their film, The Man from U.N.C.L.E, was on 3,638 screens and made a not-hip $3,720 on each one. The quirky but undeniable charms of Guy Ritchie's film just couldn't be communicated to wide audiences, even with three up-and-coming stars attached like Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer and Alicia Vikander and a reported production budget of $75M.

That figure probably didn't include all of the other costs associated with the long-gestating reboot of the 1964-1968 TV show. It's been around so long it was once to be directed by Steven Soderbergh and once had the lead role of Napoleon Solo claimed by both George Clooney and Tom Cruise.


WEEKEND ESTIMATES

1. Straight Outta Compton - $56,100,000

2. M:I - Rogue Nation - $17,000,000

3. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. - $13,535,000