‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ Swings to $72 Million at Overseas Box Office, Mighty $131 Million Globally

Disney and 20th Century’s “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” climbed to $72.5 million at the international box office in its first weekend of release.

The newest film in the long-running “Apes” series also notched No. 1 in North America with $58.5 million, bringing its initial global tally to a promising $131 million. Those ticket sales were above Sunday’s projections of $56.5 million domestically and $129 million worldwide. Like its predecessors, the $160 million-budgeted “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” is projected to earn the bulk of its revenues at the international box office.

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Overseas, the movie enjoyed the biggest start in China with $11.4 million (a lackluster debut for the territory), France with $7.1 million, Mexico with $6.4 million and the United Kingdom with $4.8 million. Other top markets were Korea ($3.2 million), Australia ($2.7 million), Brazil ($2.6 million), Germany (2.2 million) and Spain ($2.2 million).

Audiences opted to watch the film in the best possible quality as premium formats represented 41% of global box office revenues. In Imax alone, “Kingdom” earned $13.2 million worldwide, including $6.2 million from foreign territories.

This “Apes” adventure should be well-positioned in its theatrical run as long as the film can ape the ticket sales of prior installments. “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” and “War for the Planet of the Apes” generated $481 million and $490 million, respectively, while “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” towers as the biggest earner of the series with $710 million globally.

Wes Ball directed “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” the fourth installment in the reimagined property and 10th entry in the 56-year-old franchise. Critics and audiences have responded positively to the film, which takes place long after the reign of Caesar (the revolutionary leader played by Andy Serkis). It follows a young ape named Noa (Owen Teague) as he embarks on a journey with a human named Mae (Freya Allan) to forge a path for the future of the two species.

Fellow newcomer, Paramount’s kid-friendly fantasy adventure “IF,” collected $3.6 million from two overseas markets. It debuted in France with $3.3 million and Belgium with $300,000. “IF,” short for Imaginary Friends, lands next weekend in the United States and 56 additional international markets, like the U.K., Australia and Mexico. John Krasinski directed the film, which stars Ryan Reynolds and Cailey Fleming as neighbors with the ability to see other people’s imaginary friends.

Elsewhere, Universal’s “The Fall Guy” added $9.4 million internationally, bringing its overseas tally to $54 million. So far, the action-comedy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt has grossed $49.6 million domestically and $103 million worldwide. However, the film cost $140 million, so it needs long legs to recoup its budget during its theatrical run.

Another holdover title, Sony’s animated “The Garfield Movie,” brought in $11.8 million from 22 markets and boosted its overseas total to $36 million. The animated adventure doesn’t open in the U.S. and Canada until Memorial Day weekend on May 24.

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