Tupac Shakur’s fans stepped up to show support for All Eyez on Me. The highly anticipated biopic depicting the life and career of the late rap legend, earned a respectable $27 million in its opening weekend.
The Benny Boom-directed film, starring newcomer Demetrius Shipp Jr., was expected to bring in $17 to $20 million.
Despite surpassing expectations, All Eyez on Me landed in third place at the box-office after Cars 3 raced away with $53 million, while Wonder Woman earned an additional $40.7 million.
Meanwhile, opening weekend wasn’t without a little controversy for All Eyez on Me. Jada Pinkett-Smith released a statement on social media calling the film “hurtful” for “reimagining” her relationship with Shakur.
L.T. Hutton, the film’s producer, expressed disappointment over Pinkett-Smith’s critique. He also clarified that scenes in the film were depicted from “actual dialogue” between Pac and the actress.
“I’m kind of disappointed and just hurt by the accusations that it wasn’t depicted or I can’t remember the exact words she said,” Hutton told TMZ Live. “But it all came from the truth and places of moments of her actual dialogue and ideas that Pac actually had.”