A scene from ‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ Photo Credit: 20th Century Studios/Youtube

“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” ruled the weekend box office with a North American opening of $56.5 million, giving an uncertain season at theaters a much-needed boost, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Following the $81.5 million debut and $58.3 million domestic opening of “Dune: Part Two” in early March, 20th Century Studios and Disney’s film, based on the 2010 rebooted “Apes” trilogy, took the year’s lead. Had achieved the third highest opening. “Kung Fu Panda 4” followed a week later.

The strong performance for “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” — it performed even better internationally with a global total of $129 million — comes a week after a slow debut for Ryan Gosling’s “The Fall Guy.” , indicating that summer 2024 is likely. A major decline will be seen after the “Barbenheimer” spell of 2023.

“Planet of the Apes” easily grossed more than the rest of the top 10.

“The Fall Guy” for Universal Pictures came in at No. 2 with a $13.7 million weekend and a two-week total of $49.7 million.

Zendaya’s “Challengers” came in third with $4.7 million and earned $38 million in three weeks for Amazon’s MGM Studios.

The debut of “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” directed by “Maze Runner” director Wes Ball, was the second-best in the series behind the $72 million opening weekend of 2014’s “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.”

It is the 10th film in the “Planet of the Apes” franchise, which began in 1968 with the Charlton Heston original with a twist ending.

“This franchise has never lost its momentum,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at comScore. “There are very few franchises that have that kind of longevity.”

And this is actually property. The new film has no central actors or characters as with its predecessors.

Dergarabedian said, “There’s just this love for the way it combines science-fiction with social commentary and straight-up popcorn entertainment.”

“Kingdom” arrived with strong reviews and positive buzz (80% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and a “B” CinemaScore). It was particularly praised for its visual effects and the way its CGI held up its primates-on-horseback aesthetic even further since the previous film, 2017’s “War for the Planet of the Apes.”

Mark Kennedy of the Associated Press called it “exciting” and “visually stunning”.

This step is welcome for the film business, but there is no certainty in the coming summer.

So far this year, there’s been a lack of an early Marvel film like 2023’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” the total is up 21% from last year’s mid-May total.

While there are potential blockbusters that feel like safe bets, including “Despicable Me 4” and “Deadpool & Wolverine” in July, others like “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” later this month and “Twisters” later in the summer. Looks like they can do it. Break it by any means.

Pixar once came with a nearly guaranteed hit, but June’s “Inside Out 2” may not be as successful as the 2015 original.

“There used to be certain bets that we can’t necessarily rely on anymore,” Dergarabedian said. “It’s going to be somewhat of a hit-or-miss slate.”

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Empire of the Planet of the Apes,” $56.5 million.

2. “The Fall Guy,” $13.7 million.

3. “Challengers,” $4.7 million.

4. “Tarot,” $3.45 million.

5. “Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire,” $2.5 million.

6. “The Unsung Hero,” $2.25 million.

7. “Kung Fu Panda 4,” $2 million.

8. “Civil War,” $1.8 million.

9. “Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace,” $1.5 million.

10. “Abigail,” $1.1 million.