1. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
20th Century Studios | NEW
$56.5M Domestic Opening Weekend
$129M Global Opening Weekend
Even after 56 years, Fox’s long-running Planet of the Apes franchise continues to endure. The newest entry, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (now distributed by Disney-owned 20th Century Studios), opened as the top domestic earner with an estimated $56.5 million from 4,075 locations and a $13,865 Pper-screen average. The debut came in significantly ahead of pre-release tracking, no doubt aided by ComScore’s PostTrak reporting of 4/5 stars from general audiences and kids, along with 4.5 stars from parents. So far, it has an 80% Certified Fresh critics score, a 79% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and a “B” CinemaScore. Crucially, premium formats proved to be the difference in the film’s over-performance this weekend by generating 41% of the total box office, including $13.2M globally from IMAX:
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes | Domestic PLF Marketshare
- IMAX – 13%
- PLF – 24%
- DBOX/4DX/Motion – Motion – 3%
- ScreenX – 1%
Audience demos were split 60/40 (male/female), with general audiences representing 88% of ticket buyers, followed by 9% parents and 3% kids. That low turnout for children is expected from a grim post-apocalyptic PG-13 film like this, which is a little too intense to be four-quadrant. Here are the full age demographics, with the highest bracket being audiences who were between ages 12 and 21 when the new series kicked off:
- 12 & Under – 3%
- 13-17 – 6%
- 18-24 – 22%
- 25-34 – 28%
- 35-44 – 14%
- 45-54 – 14%
- 55+ – 13%
This makes the Wes Ball-directed film the second-highest domestic opener in the modern series, which began 13 years ago. It also bodes well for screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver’s overall plan for an eventual 9-movie saga.
- Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) – $72.6M opening ($208.5M cume)
- Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024) – $56.5M opening
- War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) – $56.2M opening ($146.8M cume)
- Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) – $54.8M opening ($176.7M cume)
The sequel also brought in $72.5M million internationally for an overall $129M cume, the third highest global opening of 2024 behind Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire ($194M) and Dune: Part Two ($182.5M). Overseas, it was #1 in most markets, even becoming the biggest opening in Brazil for 2024. Here are the Top 5 markets outside North America:
- China – $11.4M
- France – $7.1M
- Mexico -$6.4M
- UK -$4.8M
- Korea – $3.2M
Overall this is a fantastic start for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and yet more proof after Dune and Godzilla that audiences are starving for big epic action and spectacle right now. The great turnout from young adults also means Fox is growing the audience with a new trilogy that builds off the previous Caesar movies with Andy Serkis but is the perfect jumping-on point with new characters and story. Likewise, roughly 27% of the audience comprises baby boomers and gen-Xers—who likely remember the original five movies from the ’60s and 70s—showing how important it is to tip your hat to the classic films even while expanding the brand.
2. The Fall Guy
Universal Pictures | Week 2
$13.7M Weekend | $49.69M Domestic Total
$103.745M Global Total
Universal’s The Fall Guy slipped down to 2nd place on its sophomore frame, taking $13.7 million from 4,008 North American theaters. The action-comedy-romance was perfect counter-programming to the grim post-apocalyptic ape antics, bringing a steady crowd throughout the weekend:
- Friday – $3.58 million
- Saturday – $5.41 million
- Sunday – $4.71 million
Internationally, the movie took in $9.43M from 80 markets for an international cume of $54 million. Greece was the big new market this weekend, where The Fall Guy took advantage of Greek Orthodox Easter to open at #1 ahead of Apes with $139K to date, which is in line with 2022’s The Lost City. The estimated top 3 overseas markets in this frame were the UK/Ireland ($1.2M), Australia ($1.1M), and Germany ($1.0M). The global take of $103,745,000 million has pushed past director David Leitch’s first two films, John Wick and Atomic Blonde.
Former stuntman Leitch has a sterling reputation for bringing audience-pleasing action to the screen in both original and franchise form. All of Leitch’s previous films have performed well here and abroad, so let’s see how The Fall Guy keeps pace with the other second weekends of his adrenaline-fueled filmography…
- John Wick (2014) – $7.9M (-45% drop)
- The Fall Guy (2024) – $13.7M (-51% drop)
- Bullet Train (2022) – $13.4M (-55% drop)
- Atomic Blonde (2017) – $8.1M (-55% drop)
- Hobbs & Shaw (2019) – $25,.2M (-58% drop)
- Deadpool 2 (2018) – $43.4M (-65% drop)
As you can see, The Fall Guy had the second-lowest drop in that list, even performing above Bullet Train on its second weekend. Although Bullet Train had a significantly lower budget, it is still our pace car, so to speak, for Fall Guy, and this hold is solid enough to say that word of mouth is making a difference in this film.
Other Notable Performances
Next week, Paramount will launch the fantasy movie IF in North America and 56 overseas markets. The film kicked off its overseas run this weekend in France and Belgium to the tune of $3.6M. In France, it opened at #3 in the market behind Planet of the Apes and Un Petit Truc En Plus with $3.3M at 621 locations, while in Belgium, it took the #2 spot behind Planet of the Apes with $300K at 85 cinemas. According to the studio, the family film is receiving “strong reviews and positive word of mouth with families and general audiences.”
Currently, the biggest competition for IF looks to be Columbia Pictures/Alcon Entertainment’s The Garfield Movie, scheduled to open domestically on May 24. After debuting last weekend internationally, the feline-centric animated film took an additional $11.8M this frame from 8,100 screens in 22 markets for an international cume of $36M.
Unlike other actors-turned-directors ala Ben Affleck or Angelina Jolie, Star Trek actor Chris Pine’s directorial debut sank like a stone as Vertical Entertainment’s Poolman took in $131K in 162 theaters for an $809 PSA. Critics savaged the film when it debuted at the Toronto Film Festival, although Pine himself seems upbeat despite his movie’s 17% rotten score and 12% audience score. At least his film performed comparatively better than the opening of Briarcliff Entertainment’s Tyler Perry parody Not Another Church Movie, which brought in an estimated $366K on 1,108 screens for a PSA of $325.
Sunday’s Studio Weekend Estimates:
2024 | Domestic Weekend 19: $94.3M
2023 | Domestic Weekend 19: $100.8M
The domestic weekend finished 6% behind last year’s Weekend 19, where Disney’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 commanded the market with a $62M frame in its first hold.
| Title | Weekend Estimate | % Change | Locations | Location Change | PSA | Domestic Total | Week | Distributor |
| Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes | $56,500,000 | 4,075 | $13,865 | $56,500,000 | 1 | 20th Century | ||
| The Fall Guy | $13,700,000 | -51% | 4,008 | 6 | $3,418 | $49,697,000 | 2 | Universal |
| Challengers | $4,684,276 | -38% | 2,609 | -868 | $1,795 | $38,073,862 | 3 | Amazon MGM |
| Tarot | $3,450,000 | -47% | 3,104 | n/c | $1,111 | $12,015,000 | 2 | Sony Pictures |
| Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire | $2,525,000 | -44% | 2,531 | -353 | $998 | $191,821,000 | 7 | Warner Bros. |
| Unsung Hero | $2,250,000 | -25% | 2,272 | -560 | $990 | $16,785,702 | 3 | Lionsgate |
| Kung Fu Panda 4 | $2,000,000 | -20% | 2,111 | -269 | $947 | $191,172,000 | 10 | Universal |
| Civil War | $1,804,642 | -49% | 2,204 | -485 | $819 | $65,214,840 | 5 | A24 |
| Star Wars Ep. I: The Phantom Menace | $1,500,000 | -83% | 2,700 | n/c | $556 | $486,619,546 | 1,304 | 20th Century |
| Abigail | $1,100,000 | -53% | 1,641 | -997 | $670 | $24,753,000 | 4 | Universal |
| Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire | $1,000,000 | -46% | 1,418 | -607 | $705 | $111,375,000 | 8 | Sony Pictures |
| The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare | $660,000 | -59% | 1,108 | -960 | $596 | $19,750,156 | 4 | Lionsgate |
| Not Another Church Movie | $360,000 | 1,108 | $325 | $360,000 | 1 | Briarcliff E… | ||
| I Saw the TV Glow | $195,111 | 64% | 21 | 17 | $9,291 | $367,765 | 2 | A24 |
| The First Omen | $147,000 | -25% | 200 | -200 | $735 | $19,905,688 | 6 | 20th Century |
| Monkey Man | $140,000 | -62% | 536 | n/c | $261 | $25,044,000 | 6 | Universal |
| Poolman | $131,000 | 162 | $809 | $131,000 | 1 | Vertical | ||
| Evil Does Not Exist | $102,700 | 140% | 34 | 31 | $3,021 | $165,099 | 2 | Janus Films |
| Irena’s Vow | $77,860 | 64 | $1,217 | $1,089,485 | 4 | Quiver | ||
| Wildcat | $72,260 | 24% | 6 | 3 | $12,043 | $134,355 | 2 | Oscilloscope |
| The Long Game | $35,000 | -53% | 65 | -81 | $538 | $3,010,154 | 5 | Mucho Mas Media |
| Force of Nature: The Dry 2 | $34,551 | 153 | $226 | $34,551 | 1 | IFC Films | ||
| La chimera | $24,000 | -47% | 35 | -18 | $686 | $764,080 | 7 | Neon |
| Late Night with the Devil | $11,584 | -55% | 30 | -36 | $386 | $9,950,580 | 8 | IFC Films |
| Stress Positions | $5,300 | -65% | 15 | -2 | $353 | $101,950 | 4 | Neon |
