‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ Debuts on a $56 Million Budget

Primates dominated the North American box office, as “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” raked in $56.5 million in its first weekend of release.

These ticket sales slightly exceeded early projections of $50-55 million and were enough to dominate the non-existent competition. “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” opened roughly on par with two of the rebooted franchise’s previous three installments, falling behind 2014’s “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” (a record $72 million ) and ahead of 2011’s “War for the Planet of the Apes” ($56.2 million) and 2011’s “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” ($54.8 million).

“The weekend figure is about average for the genre, but the average here is based on the greatest action films of all time,” says David A. Gross of film consultancy Franchise Entertainment Research . “It’s a great opening.”

An opening in line with projections is great, but Gross says the exhibition industry is still waiting for “something that would shake up the market and electrify summer cinema.” Currently, the domestic box office is down about 22% from 2023 and 42% from 2019. In the weeks and months to come, theater owners will rely on mainstays like “Deadpool & Wolverine,” “Despicable Me 4” and “Inside Out 2.” » to crush expectations and save the summer season.

The latest film in the long-running “Apes” series cost $160 million to produce (less than the previous two films budgeted at $190 million) and, like its predecessors, is expected to be bigger at the international box office. The film debuted with $72.5 million overseas, bringing its worldwide total to $129 million.

“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” the fourth installment in the reimagined property and the 10th in the 56-year-old series, hasn’t been as widely adopted as its predecessors. But critics and audiences have responded positively to the film, which holds an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes and a “B” on CinemaScore. Directed by Wes Ball, this “Apes” story takes place many, many years after the reign of Caesar (the revolutionary leader played by Andy Serkis) and follows a young ape named Noa (Owen Teague) as he embarks on a travel with a human. named Mae (Freya Allan) to chart a course for the future of both species.

With “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” as this weekend’s only major newcomer, the remaining titles rounded out the box office charts. Last weekend’s champ, “The Fall Guy,” landed far behind with $13.7 million, an expected 51% drop from its debut. So far, the action comedy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt has grossed $49.6 million domestically and $103 million worldwide. “The Fall Guy” cost a whopping $140 million, so it’s counting on international box office interest to make a successful landing and redeem its theatrical run.

Zendaya’s sexy tennis drama “Challengers” remained at No. 3 with $4.6 million from 2,609 theaters. After three weekends of release, director Luca Guadagnino’s film has grossed $38 million in North America and $68.7 million worldwide. That’s a decent result for an R-rated arthouse drama. However, “Challengers” was backed by Amazon MGM and, at a cost of $55 million, was not budgeted as an independent film. It needs a long life in theaters to justify its price tag before landing on the streamer.

In fourth place, Sony and Screen Gem’s low-budget horror film “Tarot” raked in $3.4 million in its second weekend of release. “Tarot,” a supernatural story about friends who unleash evil from a cursed deck of tarot cards, has grossed $12 million in North America and $20 million worldwide. But it only cost $8 million, so it’s well-positioned in its move to the big screen.

“Godzilla x Kong: A New Empire” rounds out the top five with $2.5 million from 2,531 theaters. The Monster Tent Pole, from Warner Bros. and Legendary, has impressively stayed in the top five for seven consecutive weekends and has grossed $191 million domestically and $558.8 million worldwide to date. It is the second highest-grossing film of the year behind another Warner Bros. collaboration. and Legendary, “Dune: Part Two” ($708 million).

Elsewhere, the God parody “Not Another Church Movie” grossed a dismal $360,000 from 1,108 North American locations. The film, released by Briarcliff Entertainment and starring Kevin Daniels, Vivica A. Fox and Jamie Foxx as God, holds a 17% on Rotten Tomatoes – which doesn’t bode well for its theatrical life.

“Without marketing support,” says Gross, “comparisons (to other films in the genre) will not be favorable.”