The hugely controversial biopic of the origins of one of raps most influential groups has shattered expectations with a strong opening at the box office.

‘Straight Outta Compton’ grossed $56.1m opening weekend, comfortably placing it far ahead of the competition.

And considering that the movie cost Universal just $29m to make, it looks like its on the way to fetch the studio and all those involved a tidy profit down the road.

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, grossed $17m for the weekend. The other big debut was the remake of the 1960s classic ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E’, and that grossed a mere $13.4m.

For comparison, the debuts of “Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation” ($55.5 million) and “Ant-Man” ($57.2 million), both of which cost north of $125 million to produce, was outstripped by Compton.

The film is doing so well, its soundtrack ‘Compton: A Soundtrack by Dr Dre’, is also atop both the US and UK album charts.

‘Straight Outta Compton’chronicles the struggles of the N.W.A, the group Dre co-founded and which was one of pioneers of the art form that is hip hop. The biopic tells the stories of the genesis of the group made up of Dr Dre, Ice Cube, DJ Yella, MC Ren, and Eazy E.

US and Canada Box Office Top Ten