Box office: ‘Sinister 2’ tops ‘Hitman’ and ‘American Ultra’ Thursday night

The new horror flick “Sinister 2” spooked fellow box-office newcomers Thursday night, with $850,000 in ticket sales from late-night showings as it begins its opening weekend.

That was enough to top the video-game action movie “Hitman: Agent 47” ($600,000) from 20th Century Fox and “American Ultra” ($425,000) from Lionsgate.

But none of the three new movies is expected to have enough juice to top Universal’s hit N.W.A biopic “Straight Outta Compton,” which opened to $60.2 million last weekend and has totaled more than $80 million in the U.S. and Canada.

SIGN UP for the free Indie Focus movies newsletter >>

The $28-million movie, co-financed by Legendary Pictures, could cross the $100-million mark domestically by Sunday.

“Sinister 2,” the R-rated sequel to a 2012 supernatural horror film, is expected to take in $14 million to $16 million. That’s would be a solid number for the low-budget Blumhouse-produced movie released by Focus Features’ Gramercy Pictures.

“Hitman: Agent 47,” directed by Aleksander Bach, could post a $10-million to $15-million opening, while “American Ultra,” an action-comedy starring Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart, is looking at $6 million to $8 million.

Follow Ryan Faughnder on Twitter for more entertainment business coverage: @rfaughnder