Information obtained via Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, Deadline, and other sources:
Landing with a higher than estimated $54.8 million, 20th Century Fox's relaunch of the "Planet Of The Apes" gave the studio their largest August opening of all time. Experts had projected the film to land in the mid-$40 million range, but a strong Friday and virtual repeat of business on Saturday saw the film blow away the predictions thrown at it.
Critics stood up for the film, its TomatoMeter at or near 80% in the days leading up to the film's release, and Time Magazine even declared the film the best of 2011 thus far. Plus, Fox was hoping that "Planet Of The Apes" fan sites and science-fiction movie bloggers would spread positive word-of-mouth and they were rewarded handsomely. Fox also did a nice job in prepping the film, striking a nice balance between the recognizable James Franco, the stunning visual effects work on the apes, and navigating the slippery slope of making sure audiences knew that this was not just a remake, but a complete overhaul and new beginning to the film franchise. Certainly, a decade removed from Tim Burton's failed 2001 attempt at the franchise, Fox had another generation of movie-goers to target with their strategies.
Rapidly, amongst reviewers, writers, and bloggers, talk turned to the performance of Andy Serkis in the film. Serkis, who has previously played Gollum in the "Lord of the Rings" franchise and King Kong in Peter Jackson's 2006 remake utilizing Motion-Capture technology, received accolades and some spirited Oscar buzz for bringing Caesar, the chimpanzee who serves as the focal point of the film, to life on screen. Serkis' work is extraordinary and in close ups and mid-range shots, the work by Jackson's studio, Weta Digital, is simply unparalleled. It should also be noted that each and every ape depicted in the film was generated via Motion-Capture technology, and although there might be some fair criticism at how the action sequences may look and feel on screen, there is so much detail and realism with these simians that Weta may have earned another Oscar come February.
But where does the film go from here? Burton's much-maligned 2001 film outgrossed this effort considerably on roughly the same budget. The issue is not whether "Rise" will be profitable with its $93 million production, as it has nearly achieved that total when counting worldwide numbers thus far (an additional $23.4 million already from overseas). As strong an opening as this is, the question turns to whether the film will have legs or not.
"Rise"'s prospects come with a tough weekend to analyze. The film is looking to hold strong against the horror/gore franchise, "Final Destination 5", the R-rated heist comedy, "30: Minutes Or Less", the inexplicable "Glee: The 3-D Concert Movie" and Buena Vista's early Oscar contender, "The Help", all opening wide and all optimistic for a big weekend. If "Rise" can hold on, it then likely succumb to Colin Farrell's "Fright Night 3D", which is looking to be a possible late Summer hit for Buena Vista.
"The Smurfs" distance themselves from "Cowboys and Aliens", Dominic Cooper and Brendan Gleeson lead their respective indies to big increases, and the R-rated comedy juggernaut crashes to a halt when "The Change-Up" fails to find a spark.
More analysis, The Weekend Breakdown, and The Top 40 after the cut!
