Apes and Glory

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The estimated $54 million that Rise of the Planet of the Apes will earn by this evening obviously betters yesterday morning's projection that Rupert Wyatt's film "might actually hit $50 million," which itself was significantly higher than the $30 million projected by 20th Century Fox three or four days ago.

You might logically presume that the film enjoyed a Friday-to-Saturday uptick, and yet Boxoffice.com's Phil Contrino reports that Apes "did $19.7 on Friday and then went very slightly down on Saturday $19.4 on Saturday...which is pretty good nonetheless. It indicates a steady positive word-of-mouth. And it got an A-minus from CinemaScore, and that's solid I could see this being a three-multiplier and hitting $150 million. August is always less competitive and this is going to propel right along."

You also might presume that the CG-abundant Apes would skew towards a younger audience, but not entirely. "The weird thing that we're finding is that 56% of the audience was 25 and up...so a nostalgia factor [among those who'd seen the 1968 original and/or the lower-budgeted sequels] kicked in."

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on August 7, 2011 at 12:38 AM

comment #1

Rashad says ...

It's not just nostalgia. It's the Alzheimer's angle in the trailer. Old people saw that and it intrigued them.

Posted by Rashad at August 7, 2011 10:18 AM

comment #2

Ray DeRousse says ...

Let's not forget the marketing for this thing. I remember openly scoffing at the idea for an origin story to an old series before I saw anything from it. But as soon as they showed Caesar's eyes and the intelligence obviously behind them, I was sold.

Glad I was, too. Easily the best of the summer movies, and one of the best of the year thus far.

Posted by Ray DeRousse at August 7, 2011 10:28 AM

comment #3

Krillian says ...

Someone got the tracking number for Cowboys & Aliens and Rise of the POTA mixed up and no one wants to admit it.

Posted by Krillian at August 7, 2011 11:03 AM

comment #4

Heinz, the Baron Krauss von Espy says ...

Saw it yesterday. Best big-budget studio film of the summer. I know at least 10 people that are going to see it today. I think it has the potential to hit $200 million domestic.

Can't figure out why Fox was so cautious about their projections. Combine that with the relatively late press screenings, and Fox was obviously worried they had a turd on their hands. The only answer I can come up with is that they were finishing effects shots up until the last minute, and didn't want to show it to critics until it was finished.

(The same thing happened with Burton's "Apes". In fact, it was so rushed, everyone involved didn't get to see the final version of it until the premier. Still made a ton of cash, though.)

Maybe Fox was worried that the audience had become wary of another "Apes" reboot. Considering how awful it was, I can see why.

Posted by Heinz, the Baron Krauss von Espy at August 7, 2011 11:12 AM

comment #5

Heinz, the Baron Krauss von Espy says ...

(Considering how awful Tim Burton's "Planet of the Apes" reboot was, I mean).

Posted by Heinz, the Baron Krauss von Espy at August 7, 2011 11:14 AM

comment #6

Rev. Slappy says ...

We keep being told that people don't read reviews and that critics are no longer relevant, but you will never be able to convince me that the largely positive reviews for Apes didn't help to drive the box office.
Especially if it's playing to an older audience. Similarly, you will never be able to convince me that the awful reviews for Larry Crowne didn't significantly damage it as a box office draw. If Crowne had opened to raves it would have made significantly more money. Sure something like Transformers is pretty much review-proof, but for a movie people are on the fence about the reviews matter. I know for myself I can't afford to see everything like I used to and now I am much more selective about what I'll actually pay to see.

Posted by Rev. Slappy at August 7, 2011 11:55 AM

comment #7

George Prager says ...

DeeZee says...

I guess people forgave Franco for Flyboys.

Posted by George Prager at August 7, 2011 11:59 AM

comment #8

George Prager says ...

Here's a theory: Oldsters are down with Redbox now. They are renting more stupid violent crap than ever before. This raised their awareness of APES. Also, the Sci-Fi angle is much more intriguing than another stupid superhero movie.

Posted by George Prager at August 7, 2011 12:03 PM

comment #9