20th Century Fox’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes went bananas this weekend, raking in a reported $55-56M per Deadline. Strong previews and a $20 million Saturday propelled the sci-fi adventure to the top of the charts, while a $72.5M international haul pushed its global tally to $129M ($13.2M from Imax).
The domestic opening for Kingdom is on par with 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes ($54M) and 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes ($56.2M) but far below 2014’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes ($72M) and even Tim Burton’s 2001 reboot Planet of the Apes ($68M). With a B CinemaScore, seeing how this one plays out over the next few months will be interesting.
At the very least, Apes’ opening should put to rest all the talk about moviegoers sticking their noses up at theaters. Last week’s The Fall Guy failed to draw major business, leading several outlets to claim moviegoing was dead. Apes proves people are happy to shell out their hard-earned money for a worthwhile theatrical experience, which bodes well for Summer hopefuls like IF, Furiosa, A Quiet Place: Day One, and Twisters, among others.
Speaking of The Fall Guy, the Ryan Gosling/Emily Blunt-led pic dipped 51% for a $13.7M sophomore frame. To date, the costly action comedy has earned $49.7M domestically.
Also of note, the rerelease of George Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace earned another $1.6M (-82%) to raise its domestic cume to $486.6M (including original release numbers), while the Zendaya-led Challengers finished in third with $5M (-34%). The R-rated tennis drama has earned $38.3M domestically thus far.
Box Office Results: Domestic Top 10
1.) Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (20th/Dis) 4,075 theaters, Fri $22.2M, 3-day $52M-$55M/Wk 1
2.) Fall Guy (Uni) 4,008 (+6) theaters, Fri $3.55M (-66%), 3-day $14.4M (-48%), Total $50.3M/Wk 2
3.) Challengers (AMZ MGM) 2,609 theaters, Fri $1.6M (-36%), 3-day $5M (-34%)/Total $38.3M/ Wk 3
4.) Tarot (Sony) 3,104 theaters,Fri $1M (-60%) 3-day $3.2M (-51%)/Total $11.7MWk 2
5.) Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (Leg/WB) 2,531 (-353) theaters, Fri $600K (-43%) 3-day $2.6M (-43%)/Total $191.8M/ Wk 7
6.) Unsung Hero (LG) 2,272 (-560) theaters,Fri $530K (-39%), 3-day $2.2M (-26%), Total $16.7M/Wk 3
7.) Kung Fu Panda 4 (Uni) 2,111 (-269) theaters, Fri $400K (-22%), 3-day $2M (-20%), Total $191.1M/Wk 10
8.) Civil War (A24) 2,204 (-485) theaters, Fri $511K (-47%) 3-day $1.9M (-46%), Total $65.3M/Wk 5
9.) Star Wars The Phantom Menace (20th) 2,700 theaters, Fri $436K, 3-day$1.6M (-82%), Total lifetime $486.6M/Wk 2 re-release
10.) Abigail (Uni) 1,641 (-997) theatres, Fri $330K (-52%), 3-day $1.1M(-53%)/Total $24.7M/Wk 4
