LOS ANGELES – “Straight Outta Compton” continued its streak at No. 1, but it was the faith-based family drama “War Room” that shook up the box office by debuting at No. 2.

“War Room,” from Sony Pictures Entertainment’s TriStar label, had been expected to open at $4 million to $5 million. Instead, it launched with an estimated $11 million in ticket sales at just 1,135 theaters in the U.S. and Canada – about one third the number of screens for “Straight Outta Compton.”

Made for about $3.5 million, “War Room” is the latest from the Kendrick brothers, Alex and Stephen. It is Sony’s fifth collaboration with the duo, who also were behind the 2008 Christian hit “Fireproof,” which cost just $500,000 to make but collected $33.5 million at the domestic box office.

“The Kendrick brothers are visionaries in this arena,” said Rory Bruer, Sony’s head of domestic distribution. “They have the pulse on what audiences want to see.”

Those audiences, which skewed female (60 percent) and older than 25 (85 percent), gave the film an A-plus rating, according to polling firm CinemaScore. The film collected $4 million on Friday, then went on to make $3.8 million on Saturday and an estimated $3 million on Sunday. (The film also screened at some theaters on Thursday night.)

The film centers on a real estate agent in a troubled marriage who finds counseling from a client, an older religious woman who suggests converting a closet into a “war room” where the real estate agent can pray, get right with God and save her family.

“It just had everything going for it,” Bruer said. “It was really kind of catching that wave where by the time we released it this weekend, it just really was so far beyond even our expectations.” He noted the per-screen average of almost $10,000, more than double any other film in wide release.

The box-office haul shouldn’t have been entirely surprising given the success of faith-based films in the past, including Bible-inspired films such as “Noah,” “Son of God” and “God’s Not Dead.”

According to movie ticketing website Fandango, “War Room” scored 70 out of 100 points on its “movie buzz indicator,” trailing slightly behind “Straight Outta Compton.” The metric gauges audience interest based on data from social media, online and mobile traffic, and advance ticket sales.

The success of “War Room” reflects the relationship the studio has developed with faith-based audiences across the country, said Rich Peluso, senior vice president of Sony Pictures. Peluso released a statement that said the partnership with the Kendricks has proved effective because they are “intimately connected to faith leaders,” they integrate themes that resonate with these leaders and they make movies that serve as “both entertainment and a useful tool to change lives and hearts.”

Finishing ahead of “War Room” was the N.W.A musical biopic “Straight Outta Compton,” which fell 50 percent in its third weekend but still added $13.2 million to its cumulative gross. To date, the Universal Pictures film has collected an estimated $134.1 million in the U.S. and Canada, making it the highest-grossing musical biopic ever, surpassing the $119.5 million total for “Walk the Line.”

Though most of the “Compton” cast is relatively unknown, the characters they played have had a fan following for years.

“The film follows the evolution of hip-hop culture, and people are taking advantage of the opportunity to see that story on the big screen,” said Todd Boyd, a professor of race and culture at the University of Southern California. “I think the rapid success of the film speaks to the sort of fan base that made hip-hop what it is today and perhaps younger fans who have come along later but who have an appreciation for the history of the culture.”

Positive word of mouth also has propelled the film, which stars O’Shea Jackson Jr. (as Ice Cube), Corey Hawkins (as Dr. Dre), Jason Mitchell (as Eazy-E), Neil Brown Jr. (as DJ Yella) and Aldis Hodge (as MC Ren). Moviegoers have given it an average A grade, according to CinemaScore. The film also notched a 90 percent positive rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

In third place for the weekend, Paramount Pictures’ “Mission: Impossible _ Rogue Nation” fell just 28 percent in its fifth weekend. The film, starring Tom Cruise, added $8.3 million, raising its total domestic haul to about $170.4 million.

“No Escape,” which began rolling out in theaters on Wednesday, debuted at No. 4 with $8.3 million in ticket sales Friday through Sunday, slightly less than tracking expectations. The Weinstein Co. acquired the action thriller, which stars Owen Wilson and Pierce Brosnan, for a mere $5 million.

“We were hoping to get to higher double digits over the five-day, but I think we are positioned pretty well heading into Labor Day weekend,” said Erik Lomis, head of distribution for the Weinstein Co.

The gender breakdown for the film was fairly even. Audiences gave the film a B-plus on CinemaScore.

“The movie plays very well, which is why we chose to debut it on a Wednesday … using the first two days as sneaks, so to speak,” Lomis said, adding that the strategy paid off. “Our exit polls are particularly strong.”

“Sinister 2,” from Focus Features’ Gramercy Pictures label, rounded out the top five in its second weekend. The R-rated horror flick added $4.7 million, bringing its domestic total to $18.5 million.

A notable flop for the weekend: Warner Bros.’ new R-rated Zac Efron film, “We Are Your Friends,” made a disappointing $1.8 million. The coming-of-age DJ drama had been tracking to pull in $10 million to $12 million. Warner Bros. paid just $2 million to acquire it.

Directed by Max Joseph, one of the filmmakers behind MTV’s “Catfish” series, the film stars Efron as Cole Carter, a 20-something aspiring electronic-music star. It co-stars Emily Ratajkowski (“Gone Girl”) and Wes Bentley.

An estimated 61 percent of the audience was female. The film received a C-plus on CinemaScore and generally negative reviews.
Labor Day weekend, the last official weekend of the summer season, is expected to be slow with just two major new releases: “The Transporter Refueled” and “A Walk in the Woods.”

Analysts expect that ticket sales will pick up in the fall, with bigger film releases on deck including M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Visit” and young-adult sequel “Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials.” Year to date, the box office is up almost 6 percent.