Box office: 'Planet of Apes' makes modest debut in India
What's the story
Amid high anticipation and buzz, the much-awaited Hollywood sci-fi drama Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes, helmed by director Wes Ball, finally hit theaters on Friday. While its theatrical debut in India was modest, the film managed to rake in ₹3.15cr on its opening day. Despite relatively lower numbers in Hindi markets, the South Indian circuits played a pivotal role in contributing to this figure.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The fourth installment in the Planet of the Apes reboot franchise, this sequel to War for the Planet of the Apes (2017), features Owen Teague, Freya Allan, and Kevin Durand. Set 300 years after the War, the film follows young chimpanzee Noa and human woman Mae on a quest to shape the fate of both apes and humans. To note, despite not being a major franchise in India, the movie surpassed its rival Srikanth, which opened to around ₹2.25cr.
Occupancy rates
'The Planet of the Apes' recorded robust Telugu occupancy rates
Per Sacnilk, the film achieved an overall 11.66% occupancy in English (2D) screenings on Friday. Additionally, it garnered an 18.03% occupancy in English (IMAX 2D) showings. The Telugu screenings saw an overall occupancy of 20.60%, while the Hindi screenings recorded 8.84% occupancy. The film might improve over the weekend, with projections suggesting a total collection of around ₹13-14cr based on advance bookings.
Domestic performance
'Planet of the Apes' witnessed a strong domestic (US) start
In contrast to its Indian debut, The Planet Of The Apes has seen a robust opening in the domestic (the United States) market. It's projected to have an opening weekend of over $50M. This performance is expected to match or even surpass the numbers put up by the last Planet Of The Apes film. On its opening day in the domestic market, it earned between $21M-$22M, with projections for a $52M-$55M opening at 4,075 theaters.
Preview performance
It surpassed its predecessor's preview earnings
Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes has also shown strong performance in previews, earning a reported $6.5M. This figure includes $1.6M from Wednesday fan shows and Thursday night earnings. Notably, this strong start has already surpassed that of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, released in 2014, which earned $4.25M before its opening day.