Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is already smashing through a major box office milestone. Taking place generations after Caesar’s death, Kingdom follows Owen Teague’s Noa as he tries to survive the destruction of his clan. During his journey, Noa meets a human in Freya Allan’s Mae and discovers that humanity’s downfall was not entirely complete. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes‘ reviews have been strong, and the movie enjoyed a strong opening weekend that saw it bring in a domestic total of $58.5 million.
Kingdom‘s second weekend has been equally exceptional. According to a report by Deadline, the latest Planet of the Apes movie is expected to earn between $23.5 million and $25 million through its sophomore weekend. That marks a decline between 57% and 60%. If it can achieve $25 million, Kingdom would cross the $100 million domestic milestone, which is an impressive take in an increasingly tumultuous 2024 box office.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has been enjoying a strong box office performance, especially when compared to other 2024 movies. Already, several have disappointed at the box office and failed to reach profitability. Madame Web, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, and The Fall Guy each disappointed and are unlikely to achieve much success going forward. Kingdom, meanwhile, has enjoyed an excellent run that is already soon to reach its $160 million budget just through the domestic market.
Kingdom is also progressing well compared to other Planet of the Apes movies. Its opening was typical for the franchise, but its second weekend drop is lower than any movie since the opener, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, in 2011. If it finishes the weekend with just a 57% drop, it will be the lowest in franchise history. That would be an excellent showing, especially at the shaky post-pandemic box office. As Kingdom will need to launch a sequel, that is a much-needed sign of positivity for Planet of the Apes in a new reality for Hollywood.
The reviews have also been positive, though not exceptional. It has an 81% score on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer and it sits at a 79% score for casual viewers. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is doing well in every necessary category, but it will still be some time before it achieves profitability. With an enormous $160 million budget, it will need approximately $400 million. It will still be a challenge to achieve that metric, as its international results have matched the domestic take almost exactly. Time will tell if it can ride its positive response to success.
Source: Deadline