It was a very late midnight screening for the sequel, which was one of the reasons it did not break box office record.
- Jul 12, 2014
AceShowbiz - "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" is paving its way to win the weekend box office. The 20th Century Fox thriller dominated the late night box office when it opened to $4.1 million from 2,750 theaters on Thursday, July 10.
The number may be small compared to others such as the $8 million debut of "The Amazing Spider-Man 2". However, there are a number of reasons why the "Apes" sequel did not perform as stellar on the first night. The film did not start to unspool in theaters until 10 P.M., which was very late for some audience. The movie also did not play in IMAX screens.
It may take a while before the movie grows on audience. The previous film, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes", opened to even less in 2011 in its midnight show with $1.3 million. However, it went on taking $54.8 million over the weekend.
"Dawn" is expected to generate more than $60 million in ticket sales over the weekend when it expands to 3,966 theaters across the nation. The Friday screening is predicted to add between $26 to $28 million including the $4.1 million from Thursday. The Matt Reeves-directed movie has been receiving good reviews from the critics and scored 94|percent| on Rotten Tomatoes.
"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" stars Gary Oldman, Keri Russell and Jason Clarke. It was produced on a $170 million budget.
