The final installment of the “Planet of the Apes” trilogy, hailed by critics, has brought fans out to the theater, too.
“War for the Planet of the Apes,” released Friday, earned an estimated $56.5 million in ticket sales during its first weekend, unseating “Spider-Man: Homecoming” as No. 1 at the box office.
This is good, but not great, news for the “Apes” franchise, as “War” marks its second-biggest opening weekend, compared to 2011′s “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” ($54.8 million) and 2014′s “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.”
The Marvel film about the webbed superhero, which had raked in $117 million in its opening weekend, fell to $45.2 million in its second weekend, per Box Office Mojo. That’s a 61 percent drop.
Rounding out the Top Five are “Despicable Me 3,” “Baby Driver” and the little indie that could, “The Big Sick.” The film starring Kumail Nanjiani enjoyed a $7.6 million return after its wide opening on Friday, where it expanded to 2,597 theaters.
Meanwhile, “Wonder Woman” clocked in as the sixth highest-grossing film of the weekend, further inching its total domestic gross to $380.6 million. With an extra push, it could eclipse “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” as the top earner for the summer.