ACTION FLICK'S SUCCESS IS A DRIVER  OF ST SALES, BABY

Baby Driver may not have been the #1 movie in the country on its opening weekend (that honor belongs to juggernaut family-franchise entry Despicable Me 3, as our box-office roundup delineates), but the unconventional action flick is a hit—and its Columbia soundtrack has zoomed to #1 on the iTunes album chart.

Music is absolutely crucial to the kinetic Driver, which was written and directed by the wildly gifted Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World's End); in it, the getaway driver of the title scores his daring escapes to his personal soundtrack (which happens to be played on various iPods, so downloads are clearly in order).

Inspired by the likes of Quentin Tarantino, Wes Anderson and other cinematic curators, Wright has cultivated a ST that's heavy on lesser-known songs that are intimately sewn into the story. So the 30-track album, a $19.99 item with only four single tracks available (including the inimitable title cut from Simon & Garfunkel), is a true companion piece.

Among its eclectic selections: "Neat, Neat, Neat" by The Damned, "Hocus Pocus" by Focus, "Brighton Rock" by Queen, "Harlem Shuffle" by Bob & Earl, "B-A-B-Y" by Carla Thomas, "Egyptian Reggae" by Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers and the song that gave Wright the concept for the entire flick, "Bellbottoms" by the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. It's an instant doorway to a fine record collection, and if you've seen the movie, every song will bring you back to one of its vivid, stylish sequences.

How big will Baby's heist be? We'll be watching.