Besting both its predecessor “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” and expectations from industry bloggers, critical sensation “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” earned an impressive $27.7 million in its box office debut Friday.
Up from the $19.5 million earned on opening day by 2011’s “Rise,” the $27.7 million Friday total puts “Dawn” in position to cross the $70 million threshold this weekend.
The previous film ended up earning $54.8 million over its first three days.
“Transformers: Age of Extinction,” Friday’s number two film, was distantly removed from first place. It earned $4.8 million at the box office Friday.
On the plus side, it is in position to cross the $200 million cumulative mark this weekend.
“Tammy” claimed third place Friday with $4.0 million, while “22 Jump Street” ($2.1 million) and “Earth to Echo” ($1.8 million) closed out the top five.