Box Office: Zac Efron Trounced by Faith-Based Film ‘War Room’ on Thursday

Zac Efron’s “We Are Your Friends” was pummeled by the faith-based film “War Room” on Thursday night.

Sony’s Christian drama launched with $600,000 at 1,017 locations at Thursday preview screenings, while Warner Bros.’ DJ movie generated a mild $175,000.

“We Are Your Friends” expands to 2,333 locations on Friday. It’s expected to take in about $9 million this weekend, while “War Room” has been forecast for a launch in the $5 million range. “War Room,” which is going out through Sony’s TriStar label, has been the leader in advance sales in recent days.

However, Universal’s “Straight Outta Compton” is set to top the box office for the third consecutive weekend with roughly $15 million.

The Weinstein Co.’s political thriller “No Escape,” which opened Wednesday with $1.2 million at 3,007 theaters and adds 343 locations Friday, should also gross about $9 million for the Friday-Sunday period.

“We Are Your Friends” is firmly pegged at younger women, given that it stars Zac Efron and unfolds against an electronic music backdrop. Wes Bentley and Emily Ratajkowski also star in the pic acquired by Warner Bros. for $2 million at the American Film Market.

“War Room” centers on a couple that find the solution to their crumbling marriage in prayer. Should Christian moviegoers embrace the picture in the way they did “God’s Not Dead” and “Heaven Is for Real,” that number could increase substantially. T.C. Stallings, Elizabeth Becka and Noel Baker star.

“Straight Outta Compton” remains a formidable late-summer player. It went head-to-head against “No Escape” on Wednesday, reeling in $2.1 million in its 13th day to lift its domestic total to an impressive $118.9 million.

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