It was a clash between a successful superhero re-invention and the latest outing for a high quality simian series this weekend, and despite not performing quite as well as Dawn on its opening, War For The Planet Of The Apes earned $56.5 million, according to studio estimates.
The new movie took down last week's champion, Spider-Man: Homecoming, but it was a close-run thing as the latest adventure for Peter Parker made $45.2 million in its second weekend, pushing it well over $200 million for its US total. The Marvel/Sony film has thus far made $469.3 million worldwide. As for War, it has nudged just a little more than $100 million globally, but has several territories left to launch.
Despicable Me 3 fell to third with $18.9 million, While Baby Driver shifted down to fourth on $8.7 million. Performing predictably well thanks to A) the quality of the film and B) a healthy expansion of screens was The Big Sick, with the rom com earning $7.6 million and jumping from eighth place to fifth.
Sixth was Wonder Woman, now the most successful of the DCEU movies to date in the States and coming up fast on Batman V Superman's worldwide top spot position. It has also been holding more successfully than many of its fellow superhero spawn.
In seventh we find new teen-aimed horror Wish Upon, which might have saved one of its dangerous magical wishes for a better start at the box office, where it earned $5.5 million. Cars 3 was nudged down a couple of places to eighth on $3.1 million, while Transformers: The Last Knight made $2.7 million in ninth and The House took home $1.7 million at 10th.