Weekend Box Office Report: July 11-13, 2014

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Apes grab the cash!

Our future simian overlords asserted their dominance at theaters this weekend as DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES climbed to the top of the box office with an estimated $73 million!

The sequel came out stronger than the surprise hit RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, which opened in August 2011 with $54.8 million and went on to $176.7 million domestic and $481.8 million globally. It's also easily the biggest opening for director Matt Reeves — DAWN's opening nearly matched CLOVERFIELD's $80 million total.

The post-apocalyptic primate/human conflict got two opposable thumbs up from critics (91% on Rotten Tomatoes) and an 'A-' CinemaScore from crowds. DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES doesn't swing into most foreign territories until the next few weeks after the World Cup, so it remains to be seen how much monkey business it will do internationally (the movie came with a $170 million price tag).

Michael Bay's latest robo-throwdown TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION skidded to second place after two weeks on top, adding another $16.5 million as it smashed through the $200 million domestic barrier. It has collected $752 million worldwide so far, including $262 million just from China (the highest-grossing release ever in that country), serving as a prime example of why so many big movies aim for overseas audiences now.

In third place, Melissa McCarthy's TAMMY grabbed another $12.9 million — a drop of only 40% from its opening last week, which is a wonder considering the harsh reaction it received from both critics and crowds (23% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 'C+' CinemaScore). The R-rated comedy is up to a 12-day total of $57.3 million (on a reported $20 million cost).

22 JUMP STREET is still holding firm in fourth with another $6.7 million (and a $171.9 million total after five weeks), followed by HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 hovering in fifth place with $5.8 million. Two of last weekend's new offerings came in after, with the family sci-fi adventure EARTH TO ECHO showing a decent 34% drop (it's gathered $24.5 million on a $13 million budget) and the supernatural thriller DELIVER US FROM EVIL losing 51% from its opening.

Disney's MALEFICENT was in eighth with $4.1 million, and with its $221.9 million total, Angelina Jolie's villainess fairy tale is now the summer's second biggest domestic release behind X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST's $229 million haul. The Keira Knightley/Mark Ruffalo romance BEGIN AGAIN got pushed onto nearly 1000 screens and surged to ninth place with $2.9 million, followed by Clint Eastwood's JERSEY BOYS clinging to the Top 10.

Outside the chart, THINK LIKE A MAN TOO slipped away with Tom Cruise's EDGE OF TOMORROW (it's now at $94.5 million domestic, so expect Warner Bros. to keep it in theaters long enough that they're able to boast it crossed $100 million). In limited release, filmmaker Richard Linklater's BOYHOOD opened on five screens with a remarkable $71k per-screen average, and an even more astonishing critical response: 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Next weekend brings a diverse group of challengers that includes Disney's computer-animated sequel PLANES: FIRE & RESCUE, the R-rated Cameron Diaz/Jason Segel comedy SEX TAPE, and a follow-up to last summer's horror sleeper THE PURGE: ANARCHY, plus the limited release of Zach Braff's drama WISH I WAS HERE.

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