Key Takeaways:
– Planet of the Apes boasts a robust opening with $56.5 million in domestic box office revenue.
– Despite the film’s success, CinemaScore only awarded it a B rating, suggesting possible effects on the overall appeal.
– Universal’s The Fall Guy sees a significant drop in audience numbers, pegged as one of the year’s biggest money losers.
– Challengers, led by Zendaya, continues to make a positive impression with over $38 million grossed so far.
– The upcoming release of family film, IF, poses an uncertain situation for the box office performance.
A Mighty Opening for Planet of the Apes
The uber-popular Planet of the Apes franchise has proven its hold over the box office once more, raking in an impressive $56.5 million domestically, as reported by ComScore. This mighty feat lands it snugly alongside the previous successes of Rise of the Planet of the Apes ($54.8 million) and War for the Planet of the Apes ($56.2 million).
The current derivate, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, marked an even higher success rate, grossing $72 million. Now, however, achieving an opening of over $50 million is recognized as a significant celebration at the House of Mouse. This success makes Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes the first Disney film, under 20th Century Films, with such remarkable box office triumph in recent times.
Low CinemaScore May Have Impact
Despite the impressive opening, the movie has drawn clouds of concern with a less than ideal rating. Deadline reports that the film only received a B rating from CinemaScore, a score considered low for a major blockbuster that might injure the film’s reputation.
Elsewhere in the Box Office
In the meantime, Universal’s The Fall Guy experienced a downfall, losing about 50% of its audience. It marked a $13.7 million weekend, failing to predict a future gross of more than $80-90 million in American box office. The film’s underperformance evokes puzzlement, as both reviews and audience responses have been generally encouraging.
Zendaya-fronted tennis movie Challengers, on the other hand, continued on a successful streak, grossing $4.684 million over the weekend and a total of $38 million till now. It has even sparked questioning over the potential of exceeding a $50 million total domestically.
Sony horror flick, Tarot, grossed $3.45 million, bringing its total earnings to $11.7 million. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire also impressively added another $2.525 million to its earnings – aiming to reach a domestic total of $200 million.
Prime Video Win and Potential Christian Market Miss
Amidst these varied box office scenarios, Amazon/MGM’s quick pivot of Challengers to Prime Video is poised as a winning move. Whereas, the faith-based movie Unsung Hero, raking in $2.25 million over the weekend for a total $16 million, does not seem destined for a significant breakthrough in the Christian market.
Kung Fu Panda 4 continued its strong performance, making $2 million, aided by the lack of competition for family-oriented movies. The film now has a total of over $190 million, raising questions over its potential to cross the $200 million threshold.
As one saga continues, A24’s Civil War starts to slow down, gathering just under $2 million. Despite the slowdown, it still stands with a substantial total of $65 million+, making it A24’s second biggest movie ever domestically.
Upcoming Releases: A Gamble or a Win?
As the box office prepares for the upcoming release of the family film, IF, there’s a toss-up situation on its potential performance. After all, the resilience of ‘the damn dirty apes’ and their audience will undoubtedly put on the test with the addition of The Strangers: Chapter I to the mix. As the franchise continues to plan more films, its second weekend will serve as the conclusive evidence of this saga’s future on the big screen.
