Despite three very different new challengers, 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' continued to rule over the box office this weekend. This doesn't spell disaster for the newcomers, but it does spell further success for the sequel to 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes,' which is riding extremely positive word of mouth to a big box office tally.

FilmWeekendPer Screen
1Dawn of the Planet of the Apes$36,500,000 (-52)$8,692$138,452,000
2The Purge: Anarchy$28,000,000$9,444$28,000,000
3Planes: Fire and Rescue$18,000,000$4,443$18,000,000
4Sex Tape$15,000,000$5,389$15,500,000
5Transformers: Age of Extinction$9,000,000 (-45)
$2,792$226,156,000
6Tammy$7,000,000 (-44)$2,058$70,648,000
722 Jump Street$4,500,000 (-31)$2,019$180,309,000
8How to Train Your Dragon 2$3,600,000 (-41)$1,660$160,471,000
9Earth to Echo$3,300,000 (-40)$1,347$32,019,000
10Maleficent$3,200,000 (-23)$2,077$228,226,000

 

With a $36 million second weekend, 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' has now reached $138 million at the box office so far. At this rate, it is looking to reach $200 million before it leaves theaters, which is exactly where it needs to be to ensure a third film in the rebooted franchise. It surely won't hold the top spot for a third weekend in a row, but this is a terrific showing for a franchise that still had its doubters right up until the film's release.

The most successful of the three newcomers was 'The Purge: Anarchy,' which raked in a strong $28 million. That's $6 million less than how the first 'Purge' film opened, but it's still solid when you consider its small $9 million budget. It probably won't reach the same box office total of the previous film, but it has better reviews from critics and audiences seem to like it more, so a third film (made at a similarly small budget) will probably still happen. The big question is how far it will drop next weekend. Horror movies are notorious for their steep second week drop-offs and this one likely won't be any different.

In third place, 'Planes: Fire and Rescue' opened with a mediocre $18 million, which initially looks disastrous, but it may not be. The first 'Planes' opened to an average $22 million before growing wings and soaring to a $90 million final gross. It's not outside the realm of possibility for the sequel to pull in similar numbers when all is said and done. This is one to keep an eye on.

'Sex Tape,' the last of the newcomers, opened in fourth place with $15 million, which, to be perfectly frank, isn't very good. Considering that Cameron Diaz has led big hits like 'Bad Teacher' and 'The Other Woman' in recent years, the blame can't rest on her. It also can't be placed on co-star Jason Segel, who has his fans. Instead, place the blame on bad reviews and an obnoxious advertising campaign.

Meanwhile, Melissa McCarthy's 'Tammy' hit $70 million, which is a solid number for a movie everyone was quick to label as a bomb a few weeks ago. At this rate, it should top out around $90 million. Right under it, '22 Jump Street' finally began to slow down, but with a final gross that should end up being just south of $200 million, no one is complaining.

Next, the people at DreamWorks Animation must still be scratching their heads over 'How to Train Your Dragon 2,' which has effectively stalled out at $160 million -- $54 million less than the first film. What went wrong here? This is one of the biggest box office mysteries of 2014.

In the final two slots, 'Earth to Echo' settled into a respectful (for its budget) final gross and 'Maleficent' began to slow down after weeks of strong legs.

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