August 14, 2011 by Vinnie Leduc
Four new wide releases couldn’t quell the critically acclaimed Rise of the Planet of the Apes at the domestic box office this weekend. Caesar and friends retained the throne for a second consecutive week, a feat shared this summer by only Thor and Transformers. The sci-fi prequel/reboot was nearly unseated by another surprise, and it actually wasn’t the Smurfs. Just falling short of no. 1 was The Help, which might have been hurt in the box office race by an early Wednesday release.
Despite getting the best reviews of the series, Final Destination 5 struggled amidst a crowded release weekend and opened at no. 3 and to its lowest attendance numbers of the franchise. Continuing its surprising success, The Smurfs crossed the $100 million mark and finished ahead of yet another R-rated comedy in its debut, 30 Minutes or Less. It suffered the same fate that The Change-Up did last week and probably means that audiences are finally tired of adult comedies this summer. But at least it didn’t bomb like Glee: The 3D Movie, which didn’t even crack the top 10.
Here were the top 5 in the domestic box office last weekend via BOM:
- Rise of the Planet of the Apes — Weekend Gross: $27.5 million — Total Gross: $104.9 million (#1 last week)
- The Help — Weekend Gross: $25.5 million — Total Gross: $35.4 million (new)
- Final Destination 5 — Weekend Gross: $18.4 million — Total Gross: $18.4 million (new)
- The Smurfs — Weekend Gross: $13.5 million — Total Gross: $101.5 million (#2 last week)
- 30 Minutes or Less — Weekend Gross: $13 million — Total Gross: $13 million (new)
