Despite backlash, Tupac biopic 'All Eyez on Me' smashes box office expectations

Released on what would have been Tupac Shakur's 46th birthday on June 16, the Benny Boom-directed All Eyez on Me biopic grossed an estimated US$27.1 million in its debut weekend in North America.

Smashing analyst expectations of US$17 million to US$20 million, the film landed third place over the weekend behind Wonder Woman (US$40.8 million) and top-seller Cars 3 (US$53.5 million).

Named after Shakur's fourth studio album, the film follows the rise of the Harlem-born hip-hop artist who defined an epoch with his music before the tragic 1996 drive-by shooting.

The biopic, which stars Demetrius Shipp Jr. and Kat Graham (who plays Jada Pinkett-Smith), received negative reviews by film critics. A 24% Rotten Tomatoes rating saw the film labeled "surface-skimming."

"Despite Demetrius Shipp Jr.'s fine lead performance, All Eyez on Me is mostly a surface-skimming, by-the-numbers biopic of a larger-than-life icon," Rotten Tomatoes wrote.

IMDB user Travis Houze wrote: "Errors in Tupac's life are more prominent than ever. Even to the point that Tupac is performing Hail Mary to a sold out crowd and the audience knows all the words, however Hail Mary came out AFTER he died."

Jada Pinkett-Smith took to Twitter over the weekend to say she found the film's errors "deeply hurtful".