The Big Picture

• Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes had a solid $56 million debut, exceeding expectations and settling in line with past franchise releases.
• Director Wes Ball's reboot earned an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a B CinemaScore from audiences.
• The Fall Guy, starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, is catching up after a disappointing debut, grossing almost $50 million domestically.

The summer box office got the shot in the arm that it needed so desperately this weekend, with 20th Century Studios’ Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes delivering a solid domestic debut. The film’s opening exceeded expectations and appears to have settled in the same range as some of the series' most recent releases. The fourth installment of the franchise’s reboot series, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes grossed an estimated $56 million in its first three days of release, including $6 million from Thursday previews. The movie was projected to generate around $50 million in its opening weekend.

This puts the science-fiction sequel marginally ahead of the $54 million that Rise of the Planet of the Apes debuted with on its way to a $176 million lifetime domestic haul in 2011 and on par with the $56 million that 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes opened to before finishing with $146 million domestically. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes retains its crown as the franchise’s biggest opener — it made $72 million in its domestic debut — and also its highest-grossing installment, with over $200 million domestically and $700 million worldwide.

While Rise was directed by Rupert Wyatt, Dawn and War were directed by Matt Reeves. Each of the reboot movies earned stellar reviews, as has Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, directed by Wes Ball. Best known for his Maze Runner trilogy of movies, Ball has experience in visual effects and science-fiction, and he appears to have put his skills to good use as he makes a steady climb up the Hollywood ladder. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes holds an 80% approval rating on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, although its audience reception is noticeably muted with a B CinemaScore. It’s too early to tell if this will weigh heavily on the film’s future, but last week’s under-performer, The Fall Guy, is certainly benefiting from positive audience reception.

'The Fall Guy' Makes a Second Weekend Comeback

The action-comedy reported a rather respectable hold in its second weekend, grossing an estimated $14 million, but it still has a lot of catching up to do. Starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, The Fall Guy had a disappointing debut last week, grossing $27 million despite weeks of enthusiastic build-up, an eye-catching marketing campaign, and positive reviews. Produced on a reported budget between $130 million and $150 million, The Fall Guy is touching the $50 million mark domestically as we speak, while also passing the $100 million mark globally. The third position was claimed by Amazon MGM’s Challengers, which lost a hefty 900 theaters but added almost $5 million in its third weekend of release, taking its running domestic total to just under $40 million.

The fourth and fifth spots went to Sony’s horror title Tarot and Warner Bros.’ blockbuster Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. While Tarot folded after a disappointing opening last weekend, grossing just $3.4 million, Godzilla x Kong has now passed the $190 million mark domestically after adding just over $2.5 million in its seventh weekend of release. The latest installment in the MonsterVerse franchise is on track to overtake Godzilla’s $200 million lifetime domestic haul to become the series’ biggest film.

Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

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