Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes Box Office Breaks Franchise’s Preview Record

Summary

• Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
  is on track to break the franchise’s record for its preview release.
• The movie has brought in $6.5 million, surpassing its predecessor’s record-holding gross of $5 million.
• These promising figures have increased the movie’s opening weekend projections by $2-5 million.

Wes Ball’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is off to a strong start at the box office as it brings in record-breaking earnings in previews. The movie marks the fourth installment in the Planet of the Apes reboot series and is the first to release since Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox. It features a significant time jump, taking place 300 years after War for the Planet of the Apes, when apes have become the dominant species on Earth. The movie stirred much excitement as its setting is closest to the original 1968 movie.

As reported by Deadline, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has grossed $6.5 million in previews. This not only surpasses its predecessor’s $5 million previews but also sets a record for the franchise as a whole, with Dawn having previously held the record prior to War with $4.25 million. It also proves a promising sign for the movie’s opening weekend, having surpassed Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, which grossed $45 million in its opening weekend, though is just shy of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny‘s $7.2 million haul, which later opened to $60.4 million domestically.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Eyes a Strong Opening Weekend

While Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes set a preview record in the franchise, it is not expected to set an opening weekend record. Including the previews, the movie is expected to earn $21—22 million Friday, and will likely finish its weekend debut with a total of $52—55 million. Hence, its opening won’t be the best in the franchise, but it will be on par with its predecessors’ average openings. Rise of the Planet of the Apes opened to $54.8 million, while the most recent, War, ultimately debuted at $56.3 million.

Meanwhile, the opening of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes likely won’t eclipse Dawn, which opened to a mammoth $72.6 million. The second installment in the reboot flourished following the success of its predecessor and because its high quality quickly spread by word of mouth. Although estimates suggest the new movie could potentially have the lowest weekend debut of the reboot series, it’s important to note that all the movies had strong openings, and $52—55 million is still impressive.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes‘ opening looks especially impressive, consideringit has been a rough month for the box office. Last week, Fall Guy failed to meet expectations with a disappointing $27.7 domestic debut. Usually, May tends to open annually with a major Marvel release, but delays due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes have meant fewer releases at the box office this year, especially for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Hence, things are looking up with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, given its preview record and potential $50+ million opening weekend.

Source: Deadline