“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” began its rise to box office supremacy on Thursday night, taking in approximately $4.1 million from 10 p.m. shows in 2,750 theaters.
Also read: ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ Could Be $60 Million Gorilla at Box Office
Matt Reeves-directed sequel of the franchise reboot stars Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, and Keri Russell as the humans this time around, replacing the cast of 2011’s “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” which starred James Franco, Freida Pinto, and John Lithgow. The humans, of course, play second bananas to the super-smart apes; their leader, Caesar, is played by motion capture pioneer Andy Serkis.
The 2011 film took in $54.8 million when it opened in August of 2011, which launched it to $176.6 million domestically and more than $480 million worldwide.
Also read: ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ Review: Compared to Its Predecessor, This Is a Second Banana
This Fox film, produced by Chernin Entertainment, should enjoy a similarly strong opening weekend, as it is projected to reach up to $60 million domestic in its opening weekend, and does not face huge box office competition until Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” blasts into theaters on August 1. Michael Bay‘s “Transformers 4,” which took in $100 million in its opening weekend, is now in its third week; it dropped 63 percent over the 4th of July holiday.