It shouldn’t surprise anyone that ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ is this weekend’s box-office winner, the film ran virtually unopposed this weekend to take one of the highest earning three-day totals of the summer. Domestically the film brought-in an estimated $73 million at 3,967 locations nationwide.
“The story we are telling will lead to Planet of the Apes, and not Planet of the Humans and Apes, so it’s about how this film fits into that narrative,” said Matt Reeves shortly before the film premiered this week.
In the new story, the apes have continued to build a community in Muir Woods. Beyond the apes’ enclave, a pandemic, the Simian Flu, has wiped out much of the world’s human population. Gradually the lights of civilization began to dim and become non-existent. For all intents and purposes, humanity has perished.
Producer Dylan Clark notes, “A viral apocalypse hit the humans and 10 years later, their numbers are severely depleted. Apes, on the other hand, have done quite well. Caesar has led them to freedom and he’s built a new home. The apes have risen, and the humans have declined. And now they’re about to collide.”
Still, DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES is about survival and not an apocalypse. “There is a sense in the beginning of the story that apes have inherited the Earth,” says Reeves. “A small group of humans is struggling to come back from devastation, and the apes are fighting for survival. It’s an ape world, and we explore whether apes and humans can figure out a way to live together without violence.”
These events again revolve around Caesar, whom Andy Serkis brought to life in an acclaimed and stunning performance in 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes. In DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, Caesar rules a nation of apes, having established a rich life for the simians in the years that followed their liberation. Now, a decade later, he finds himself grappling with the challenges of maintaining his benevolent leadership, and protecting his mate and two children in the face of renewed interaction with humans.
At number two ‘Transformers: Age Of Extinction’ brought in another $16.5 million, that film’s total has now reached an estimated $209 million. Even though it launched with less than favorable reviews, ‘Tammy’ took in almost $13 million this weekend, with a total nearing $57.4 million since the film premiered.
Still back-to-back are “22 Jump Street” with $6.7 million ($172 million to-date) and “How To Train Your Dragon 2” with $5.9 ($152 million to-date) rounding out numbers four and five on the list.
