Movie

The fourth installment in the 'Planet of the Apes' reboot franchise stands out with an estimated $56 million opening, surpassing early projections of $50 million.

• May 13, 2024

AceShowbiz - Primates reign supreme at the box office this week. "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" debuts atop the chart after collecting an estimated $56.5 million in its first weekend of release in North America.

The sci-fi dystopian action film surpassed early projections of $50 million, easily enough to tower over the nonexistent competition from other big studios' releases. The fourth installment in the "Planet of the Apes" reboot franchise currently holds the third highest opening of the year after the $81.5 million debut of "Dune: Part Two" in early March and the $58.3 million domestic opening of "Kung Fu Panda 4" a week later.

"The weekend figure is roughly average for the genre, but average here is based on the biggest action films of all time," says David A. Gross of movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. "This is an excellent opening."

The Wes Ball-directed pic performed even better overseas, garnering $72.5 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $129 million so far. The strong performance is boosted by glowing reviews from critics, with 80% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and a "B" CinemaScore.

"This franchise has never been allowed to lose its momentum," Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore, weighs in. "There are very few franchises that have this kind of longevity." He adds, "There's just this love for the way it melds sci-fi with social commentary and straight-up popcorn entertainment."

"Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" easily topples "The Fall Guy", which failed to set a firm ground in its debut weekend last week. In its second weekend, the movie places second with an estimated $13.7 million after tumbling 51% for a 10-day total of $49.7 million.

Overseas, the action comedy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt earned $9.4 million from 80 markets for a total of $54 million internationally and $103.7 million globally.

Zendaya Coleman's "Challengers" defends its position at the third place with additional $4.7 million, bringing its domestic cume to $38.1 million for a global total of $68.7 million so far. It's dipped a narrow 38 percent and continues to serve up solid numbers at the foreign box office, where it grossed $4.2 million from 63 markets for an international gross of $30.6 million.

"Tarot" also holds on to the fourth place with an estimated $3.4 million for a tepid 10-day domestic tally of $12 million. "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" rounds out the top five with approximately $2.5 million, bringing its domestic gross to $191.8 million so far.

Top 10 of North American Box Office (May 10-12, 2024):

1. "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" - $56.5 million
2. "The Fall Guy" - $13.7 million
3. "Challengers" - $4.7 million
4. "Tarot" - $3.4 million
5. "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" - $2.5 million
6. "Unsung Hero" - $2.2 million
7. "Kung Fu Panda 4" - $2 million
8. "Civil War" - $1.8 million
9. "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" 2024 Re-release - $1.5 million
10. "Abigail" - $1.1 million