Weekend Box-Office Report: August 12-14, 2011

Apes “Rise” to the Top Spot Again

Despite several notable new offerings, Rise of the Planet of the Apes remained atop the weekend box-office list for a second consecutive week (a feat accomplished only twice this summer by Thor and Transformers 3).  Based off of solid results thus far as well as generally positive critical and audience reviews, the studio and filmmakers have begun talks for a sequel, possibly as a new Planet of the Apes trilogy.  If they’re able to at least replicate the quality of this origins story in sequels, then definitely bring them on!

As for this past weekend’s newest releases, the cinematic adaptation of The Help somewhat surprisingly finished in the number two spot on the charts, closely behind Rise, with a strong showing comfortably above Final Destination 5 and the disappointing 30 Minutes or Less, which made the third and sixth spots, respectively.  The feel-good drama over-performed, probably thanks to a The Blind Side vibe, strong marketing, and a talented cast to boot.  The fifth installment of the “what other cool/bizarre ways can we kill people?” franchise actually got some of its best reviews, but audiences seem to be less taken in by it than in the past as this hopefully will be the final theatrical release for the series.  Unfortunately, the based-on-real-events bank robbery comedy turned out to be a disappointment for many, and this clearly shows in the underwhelming box-office results.  The weekend’s other major new release Glee: The 3D Concert Movie didn’t even crack the top ten, garnering only $5.7 million in eleventh place.  The three films that fell from the top ten this past weekend included Horrible Bosses ($110M), Friends With Benefits ($53M), and Transformers: Dark of the Moon ($347M).