This weekend, Fox’s War for the Planet of the Apes came out victorious against Sony’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, which suffered the worst second-weekend drop of any MCU film to date. Meanwhile, Lionsgate/Amazon’s The Big Sick performed decently in its nationwide expansion, and Broad Green’s Wish Upon fared better than anticipated.
From 4,022 venues, War for the Planet of the Apes opened to a healthy $56.26 million. As for debuts in this reboot trilogy, War came just ahead of 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes ($54.8m), but is -22% from 2014’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes ($72.6m). Adjusted for inflation, War is the lowest opener in the trilogy. Despite War receiving widespread praise (95% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes; 8.2/10 on IMDb from over 18,300 ratings), it could not overcome a moviegoing public suffering from franchise fatigue, and its marketing failed to offer something “new.” War’s performance is comparable to Paramount’s Star Trek Beyond, another sci-fi threequel that experienced a comedown from its predecessor – and it too received positive notices. Star Trek Beyond opened to $59.25m, and ended its run with $158.85m; a similar run would give War for the Planet of the Apes over $150m. If War performs more closely to Dawn, it will gross around $160m. War is unlikely to match the multiple of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, due to competition in the coming weeks, but a $180m+ gross would be the result. For now, it seems that the Matt Reeves film is looking at a $155m domestic total.
Internationally, War for the Planet of the Apes grossed $44.2 million from 61 territories, less than a third of its overseas footprint. The global opening for War stands at $100.48m. Openings are similar to Dawn of the Planet of the Apes; the U.K. leads foreign markets with $9.5m, and Russia is second with $5m. Excellent word of mouth should propel War as it opens in major markets in Asia and Europe throughout the summer. It is difficult to predict a final total at this juncture, but War seems to be a lock for $450m+ overseas.
In second, Jon Watts’ Spider-Man: Homecoming dropped a sharp -62.2% to gross $44.2 million in its sophomore weekend. It beat Universal’s The Incredible Hulk (-60.4%) for the worst second weekend drop in the MCU, and its drop was on par with The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (-61.2%). Luckily, this third reboot has banked $208.3 million thus far, eclipsing Amazing Spider-Man 2’s $200.8m lifetime gross. Homecoming also has the benefit of great word of mouth, aiding the franchise’s long-term potential – having a praised new iteration can convert naysayers skeptical of yet another Spider-Man film, and in turn bolster the next. Internationally, Homecoming scored $71.3 million from 63 markets. Overseas total is $261m for a $467.34m global haul. Homecoming’s top five foreign markets are South Korea ($42.2m, a record for the franchise), the U.K. ($21.9m), Mexico ($20.4m), Brazil ($19.4m, also a record for the franchise), and Australia ($14.5m).
Taking third, Universal/Illumination’s Despicable Me 3 fell a healthy -42.4% to $19.35 million. When it comes to this franchise’s third weekend drops, Despicable Me 3 was on par with 2013’s Despicable Me 2 (-43.3%) and lighter than 2015’s Minions (-53.5%). Gru and his minions stand at $188.4m so far, with $230m+ still possible. Overseas, Illumination’s animated hit seized $73 million from 61 markets, for a $431.4m international total. The global cume sits at a strong $622.4m. Top five foreign markets for Despicable Me 3 are China ($113.6m, behind Disney’s Zootopia as the second-biggest non-Chinese animated film there), the U.K. ($33.2m), Mexico ($28.4m), Brazil ($25.8m), and Australia ($22.5m). Despicable Me 3 should cross $800m worldwide by the end of its run – considering it cost a relatively cheap $80m to produce, this is yet another victory for Illumination.
In fourth, Sony’s Baby Driver took $8.7 million in its third weekend, down -33% from its last. The Edgar Wright heist comedy continues to impress as its domestic cume reaches $73.1m, and it can still cross the $100m milestone if it holds. Internationally, Baby Driver grossed $6.2 million from 18 markets – overseas total for the $34m original is a healthy $23.17m, and the global cume is $96.29m with plenty of gas left in the tank.
Hitting fifth place is Lionsgate/Amazon’s The Big Sick, which grossed $7.53 million in its nationwide expansion. The Michael Showalter romantic comedy has totalled $15.97m and has a chance at $35m+ if it holds. It may seem low, but The Big Sick’s theatrical performance is nothing to scoff at (if anything, it’s great for an arthouse release), and it’s the kind of film that thrives in the post-theatrical market. The only foreign market in which The Big Sick has seen release is India, where it has grossed a non-noteworthy $88,926.
The final new release this weekend landed in seventh. Broad Green’s Wish Upon opened to $5.47 million, a higher debut than I pegged it for. With no horror competition until Warner Bros.’ Annabelle: Creation on August 11th, Wish Upon has a chance at $15m+ stateside despite gloomy reception. It isn’t a disaster for Broad Green, but it certainly isn’t a success either. Early international numbers give Wish Upon a $463,649 start from 4 markets, lead by Columbia ($166,295) and the Netherlands ($127,995), translating to a global debut of $5.87 million.
That’s all for this weekend’s box office report. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for this Wednesday’s forecast featuring Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, Malcolm D. Lee’s Girls Trip, and Luc Besson’s Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.
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