BOX OFFICE REPORT (JULY 11-13): 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' Rules With $73M Opening Weekend

1. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (N)
Weekend gross: $73 million / Total domestic gross: $73 million / 
Percent drop: NA
Apes. Box office. Strong. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes dominated the box office this past weekend, setting a franchise opening weekend record with a $73 million opening. This opener trumps both the first weekend for Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes remake ($68.5 million) and Rise of the Planet of the Apes ($54.8 million). I don't think Fox could ask for more from director Matt Reeves with Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Not only is the movie a box-office smash, but it's also a critical darling, with praise pouring in for the film's mature story, character development and amazing motion-capture performance by Andy Serkis and Toby Kebbell. I'll still never understand how Hugo beat Rise of the Planet of the Apes at the 2011 Oscars for Best Visual Effects, but there's no way Dawn of the Planet of the Apes loses at the next Oscars. In fact, this movie should be aiming for an even bigger nomination — Best Picture.

2. Transformers: Age of Extinction (1st)

Weekend gross: $16.5 million / Total domestic gross: $209 million / 
Percent drop: 55.5
Here's how much the international box office has changed the movie game: Transformers: Age of Extinction is already 2014's No. 1 movie worldwide, flying past X-Men: Days of Future Past this weekend. Domestically, Age of Extinction isn't meeting the performance of its predecessors. Through three weekends, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, the top-grossing installment in the franchise, had already pulled in $339.2 million.

3. Tammy (2nd)

Weekend gross: $12.9 million / Total domestic gross: $57.4 million / 
Percent drop: 40.2
After finding box office success with Bridesmaids, Identity Thief and The Heat, Melissa McCarthy has a bomb on her hands with Tammy. The critically hated movie will be lucky to ever pass $100 million.

4. 22 Jump Street (4th)

Weekend gross: $6.7 million / Total domestic gross: $172 million / 
Percent drop: 31.7
Through its first five weekends, 21 Jump Street had grossed $120.3 million. 22 Jump Street has grossed $172 million through that same point. How much money does Sony have to throw at Phil Lord, Chris Miller, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill to make 23 Jump Street a reality?

5. How to Train Your Dragon 2 (5th)

Weekend gross: $5.9 million / Total domestic gross: $152.1 million / 
Percent drop: 34.6

How to Train Your Dragon 2 continues to disappoint. Through five weekends, the original How to Train Your Dragon had grossed $217.6 million, including a fifth-weekend gross of $15.3 million. How to Train Your Dragon 2 was almost $10 million behind its predecessor's fifth weekend.

Next week's predictions

1. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

2. The Purge: Anarchy

3. Transformers: Age of Extinction

4. Sex Tape

5. Planes: Fire and Rescue

SOURCE: Box Office Mojo