NORTH AMERICA: 'Straight Outta Compton' Leads Close Three-Way Race on Thursday with $1.01M; 'War Room' #2 with $0.92M; 'A Walk in the Woods' #3 with $0.86M

By Daniel Garris

Straight Outta Compton was up one spot on Thursday to move back into first place with a daily take of $1.006 million. The successful F. Gary Gray directed N.W.A biopic from Universal was down 7 percent from Wednesday and down 48 percent from last Thursday. Straight Outta Compton was the week's top film with a weekly haul of $18.05 million. That was down 50 percent from the previous frame and brings the film's three-week total to a strong $138.94 million. Straight Outta Compton is running 45 percent ahead of the $95.72 million three-week gross of last year's Ride Along.

Sony's War Room was up one spot and 7 percent over Wednesday to take second with $0.917 million. The low-budget Kendrick Brothers produced faith based film from TriStar and AFFIRM Films claimed a healthy daily per-location average of $808 from a modest 1,135 locations. War Room outpaced expectations this week with a second place seven-day start of $15.31 million. The film is performing an impressive 36 percent stronger than the $11.29 million seven-day start of 2011's Courageous. War Room will be playing in 1,526 locations this weekend.

Broad Green Pictures' A Walk in the Woods placed in third with an estimated $0.863 million. The Robert Redford led comedy fell two spots and 26 percent from Wednesday's opening day performance. A Walk in the Woods is off to a very promising start so far with $2.03 million in two days. That places the film 7 percent ahead of the $1.90 million two-day pre-Labor Day midweek start of The Debt back in 2011. At its current pace, A Walk in the Woods will likely find itself in a close three-way race for first place over the holiday weekend with Straight Outta Compton and War Room.

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation held steady in fourth place with $0.691 million. The fifth installment of the Tom Cruise led blockbuster franchise from Paramount was down a slim 1 percent from Wednesday and down 32.5 percent from last Thursday. Rogue Nation placed in third for the week with $11.15 million. The film was down just 30 percent from the previous week and has grossed a very healthy $173.24 million in five weeks.

The Weinstein Company's No Escape rounded out the day's top five with $0.554 million. The action thriller starring Owen Wilson, Pierce Brosnan and Lake Bell fell 8 percent from Wednesday and 37 percent from last Thursday. No Escape placed in fourth for the week with $10.94 million. The film has grossed $13.00 million in nine days, which is in line with expectations and places the film 5 percent behind the $13.67 million nine-day take of last year's The November Man.