‘War Room’ rises above box office competition

SCREENGRAB from the War Room’s website

LOS ANGELES, United States—Faith-based drama “War Room” had its prayers answered, rising to the top of the North American box office chart in its second week in movie theaters, industry trackers said Tuesday.

The Christian release about a seemingly perfect couple in a crumbling marriage who find help through prayer made more than $9.4 million on a slow Labor Day weekend.

That was enough to bounce “Straight Outta Compton,” a biopic about the pioneering rap group NWA, from the top spot, which it had held for three straight weeks.

Its $8.6-million haul on Friday, Saturday and Sunday put it in second place, for a cumulative $149.8 million over four weeks.

“A Walk in the Woods,” with Robert Redford and Nick Nolte, came in third during its first weekend in North American theaters with an $8.2 million box office take.

Based on a book by travel writer Bill Bryson, the film dramatizes his homecoming hike along the Appalachian Trail with an old friend, after a long absence from America.

Fourth went to action thriller “Transporter: Refueled,” by French director Camille Delamarre, which made $7.4 million during its debut weekend.

“Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation,” the heart-pounding Tom Cruise vehicle, finished fifth and pulled in $7.2 million during its sixth week in theaters, for a cumulative gross of $182.6 million.

Sixth was “No Escape,” the expat adventure film starring Owen Wilson as a father trying to save his family in the middle of a foreign country’s political uprising. It raked in $5.5 million.

“The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”, based on the 1960s TV spy series, slipped a notch to seventh place with $3.48 million in weekend ticket sales.

Horror flick “Sinister 2″—about a child’s nightly visitations from ghoulish kids—dropped to eighth, making $3.45 million.

In a surprise finish on the slow box office weekend, ninth place went to Mexico’s “Un Gallo con Muchos Huevos” (A Rooster with Many Eggs), a Spanish-language animated feature, which pulled in just above $3.4 million in ticket revenue.

The result was stunning because the 3D film about a little rooster that fights a mean rancher opened in less than 400 theaters, was shown in its original Spanish with English subtitles and had little advertising in North America.

“Inside Out,” Pixar’s 3D animated comedy-drama set in the mind of a young girl, was tenth at $3.2 million.

It has made $349.5 million after 12 weeks in movie theaters.