Apes Overthrow Spider-Man atop Box Office Rankings

Nearly 50 years after Charlton Heston first felt their stinking paws, the “Planet of the Apes” primates have topped the box office yet again.

“War for the Planet of the Apes,” the third installment in the reboot series, collected an estimated $56.5 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend.

That debut is about 20% below the opening of its predecessor, “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” which opened to $72.6 million in 2014. “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” which kicked off the series, opened to $55 million in 2011 and went on to gross $177 million in the U.S. and Canada.

Continued competition from “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” another well-reviewed franchise title, may have depressed the “Apes” opening a bit. “Spider Man” fell 61% in its second weekend, a steeper fall than some analysts were expecting, for a two-week total of $208.3 million.

Strong word-of-mouth should help “Apes” see an eventual gross that is closer to the “Dawn” total of $209 million, said Chris Aronson, president of domestic distribution at Twentieth Century Fox, which released the film.

…Audiences this summer turned out for the season’s best-reviewed films, from “Spider-Man: Homecoming” to “Baby Driver.”

“If you look at the top movies, all of them have been well-reviewed,” said Mr. Aronson.

Overseas grosses added $46 million to the movie’s opening weekend. The film has opened in about 35% of the international marketplace and will continue its roll out in the coming weeks.

Source: Apes Overthrow Spider-Man atop Box Office Rankings – WSJ