Those Darn Dirty Apes Again

"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" is holding its own against all contenders, staying in the No. 1 spot for its second weekend with $27.5 million in sales. The production by Twentieth Century Fox is a prequel to the earlier Plant of the Apes movie series, which originally stared Charelton Heston and later Mark Whalberg. 

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - While Apes remained strong, DreamWorks and Participant Media's "The Help" placed a strong second, exceeding predictions and grossing $25.5 million. Its five-day run has delivered a debut of $35.5 million. By contrast, the big loser this weekend was Fox's "Glee: the 3D Concert Movie," which came in at No. 11, grossing only $5.7 million.

The losses are mitigated by the low production budget of just $9 million, but the take was still a disappointment to many, considering the TV show is one of the most popular. Still, those who viewed the 3D production are giving the movie stellar reviews, and these may help make up the difference in the weeks to come by attracting more moviegoers.

Fox is pleased that Planet of the Apes remains strong. Fox's senior vice President of distribution said, "We have a movie that is a broad, mainstream commercial hit. It's remarkable to only drop 50% and do $27.5 million worth of business, despite $60 million worth of new movies coming into the marketplace." Disney was also pleased with the results of, "The Help" which it distributed for DreamWorks and Participant.

The novel-based movie about white women and their maids in the segregated, Jim Crow south is predicted to enjoy a long and successful run. The movie has played remarkably well in African American theaters and in upscale commercial theaters. And while women are the primary viewers, an increasing number of male viewers are attending the move, which increases its exposure and long-tem popularity.
 
Other movies that debuted this weekend were "Final Destination 5" and the R-rated, "30 Minutes or Less." Both movies suffered as more people lined up to see "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" and "The Help." Still, "Final Destination 5" opened at No. 3, grossing 18.4 million. The 3D movie, produced for $45 million, was expected to break $20 million in its first weekend, but has failed to do so.

Still, distributors are optimistic, as 75% of the film's gross revenues came from 3D theaters, which is considered substantial. "In a summer of light 3D performances, to do 75% is huge," said Warner Bros. executive vice president of domestic distribution Jeff Goldstein. Previous Final Destination movies have opened to better results, but the current box office offerings remain competitive.

Box office results
For the weekend of Aug. 12-14
1. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (3,691 theaters): $27.5 million
2. *The Help (2,534 theaters): $25.5 million
3. *Final Destination 5 (3,155 theaters): $18.4 million
4. The Smurfs (3,427 theaters): $13.5 million
5. *30 Minutes or Less (2,888 theaters): $13 million
6. Cowboys & Aliens (3,310 theaters): $7.6 million
7. Captain America: The First Avenger (2,835 theaters): $7.1 million
8. Crazy, Stupid, Love (2,635 theaters): $6.9 million
9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2,414 theaters): $6.87 million
10. The Change -Up (2,913 theaters): $6.2 million

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