The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Delivers Franchise’s Second-Best Box Office Opening

There may have been some doubts about the summer box office when , but Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is restoring a lot of hope and excitement with an excellent opening just one week later. The newest entry into what has become one of the most consistent franchises around, Kingdom easily won the weekend box office, not only beating out its own projections but also delivering the second-biggest debut of the entire series.

According to the latest numbers from Variety, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes collected $56.5 million domestically over the course of its opening weekend. That’s enough to beat every other entry in the franchise, save for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes opened to $56.2 million, with 2011’s franchise resetting Rise of the Planet of the Apes opening to $54.8 million. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, which opened in 2014, is the best-performing film of the series by a wide margin. That movie opened to $72 million and went on to gross over $700 million globally.

Kingdom is off to a good start in international markets as well, opening to $72.5 million overseas. So after one weekend, the film has made a solid $129 million, which will go a long way toward recouping its $160 million budget.

What Is Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes About?

You can check out a description of the new film below!

“Director Wes Ball breathes new life into the global, epic franchise set several generations in the future following Caesar’s reign, in which apes are the dominant species living harmoniously and humans have been reduced to living in the shadows. As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all that he has known about the past and to make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.” 

The cast for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is anchored by Owen Teague (IT) as Noa, a young chimpanzee. He’s joined in the film by Kevin Durand (Locke & Key) as Proximus Caesar, a powerful chieftain that has appropriated human technology; Travis Jeffery as Anaya; Lydia Peckham as Soona, a female chimpanzee and a friend of Noa. Neil Sandilands as Koro; Peter Macon as Raka; and Freya Allan (The Witcher) as Mae, one of the few human characters to appear in the movie