There was some concern after Fox’s sequel Dawn of the Planet of the Apes from director Matt Reeves earned about half of what the big summer blockbusters did during its Thursday night showings. I noticed a handful of opening weekend box office estimates were being revised south of $60 million after the so-so late showings, but you can toss those in the trash after moviegoers stormed cinemas to watch Dawn of the Apes on Friday.
With Caesar leading the charge, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes gained momentum on Friday and earned an estimated $27.7 million from 3,967 locations. Forget $60 million; the sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes now has a legitimate shot at touching $70 million through Sunday.
Moviegoers gave Dawn of the Planet of the Apes an “A-” CinemaScore rating, the same score bestowed upon its predecessor. While that film earned $54.8 million in its debut weekend, there’s more exposure of and interest in the sequel.
International box office will be key for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes as Rise soared with $481.8 million at the foreign box office, almost three times as much as it made in North America. Expect similar or slightly higher numbers from Dawn when all is said and done.
Check back Sunday for the complete weekend box office results report to see if Dawn of the Planet of the Apes reached $70 million and how the rest of the pack, including Transformers: Age of Extinction and specialty release Boyhood, performed.
