DirectorWes Ball’sfirst installment in thePlanet of the Apesfilm franchise didn’t monkey around over its opening weekend. In fact,Kingdom of the Planet of the Apesexceeded expectations as the sci-fi adventure ascended to become the No. 1 movie as its theatrical run begins. The long-range box office forecast predicted theKingdomwould make somewhere between $40 million and $50 million domestically, but it ended up hauling in an estimated $56.5 million instead (perThe Numbers).
Moviegoers all around the world were going ape for the newKingdomover the weekend, as Ball’s movie brought in an additional $72.5 million internationally en route to a global take of $129 million. And up against a reported production budget of $160 million,Kingdom of the Planet of the Apesis off to a strong start. Reigning financially is one thing, though, because the scoreboards aren’t exactly lighting up when it comes to the critics and audiences' reactions.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Set several years after the events of War for the Planet of the Apes, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the next installment in the Apes saga. Ape clans have taken up residence in the oasis that Caesar sought to colonize, but humans have reverted to their animalistic nature in their absence. Now battling between enslavement and freedom, outliers in the Ape clans will take sides in a newly burgeoning society.
What’s arguably most surprising is thatKingdom of the Planet of the Apesonly managed to post a “B” CinemaScore as Ball’s sci-fi flick laid claim to the top spot at the box office. That’s the lowest CinemaScore awarded to any of the fourPlanet of the Apesprequels.Kingdomdid manage to register an 81% on the Tomatometer, at the time of this writing, against 221 reviews from the critics.
Nevertheless, the film’s audience score of 78% is also lower than the last two installments of the Caesar trilogy. Check out and compare the scores for all four of thePlanet of the Apesprequels below by order of Tomatometer, audience rating and CinemaScore (from left to right):
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes… Challengers
WhileKingdom of the Planet of the Apesrules the box office world,last weekend’s No. 1 film,The Fall Guy,stumbles but lands on its feet at No. 2 with an estimated $13.7 million domestically. Zendaya’s steamy on-screen romance with Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor inChallengers,continues to hold extremely well as the sports drama only fell 38% since last weekend en route to laying claim to the No. 3 spot with $4.7 million. Sony Pictures Releasing’s horror flickTarotchecks in at No. 4 with $3.5 million.
Directors Anna Halberg and Spenser Cohen’s film continues to far exceed expectations asTarothas now made $20.2 million worldwide against a reported production budget of only $8 million. What is even more miraculous is that the macabre movie is thriving witha truly terrifying Tomatometer rating of only 21%.Its Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 58% isn’t much better, andTarot’s"C-" CinemaScore is low even for a scary film. Nevertheless,Tarotcontinues to deal a winning hand at the box office.
Here’s What Every Planet of the Apes Movie Made at the Box Office
The Planet of the Apes series has had major ups and downs, but over the years it has become one of the highest-grossing sci-fi franchises in history.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empirerounds out the Top 5 with $2.5 million.The 25th anniversary screeningsofStar Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menacestill manages to crack the Top 10 at No. 9, but George Lucas' first prequel nosedives 83% since last weekend. However,The Phantom Menacestill made an additional $1.5 million. This week’s largest per-theater average goes to No. 1Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes($13,865 per cinema).
A number of newcomers will join the summer movie madness next weekend. Check out all the titles opening on May 17 below:
