Now that read our review), but it's been lagging behind commercially at this point in its run. As business slows down for the sci-fi drama, we're going to analyze the numbers to see it War can be qualified as a box office success.
Domestic Struggles
Back in 2014, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes made an impressive $72.6 million in its opening weekend, but War was never expected to reach that figure. The earliest projections indicated a haul of around $65 million during the first three days, but the actual results were even below that. Debuting in mid-July, War for the Planet of the Apes made $56.2 million, which was high enough to top Rotten Tomatoes scores influence whether or not audiences see a film in theaters, so some felt War's 93% rating should have led to a more fruitful weekend. Planet of the Apes has never been one to break box office records, but there was a noticeable gap between War and Dawn.
In the weeks since, War struggled to stay afloat. During the film's second weekend, it took a sizable 62.9 percent drop, having to contend with Christopher Nolan's acclaimed World War II drama, Dunkirk. As of this writing, War has made $137.7 million domestically, which trails the $160.1 million posted by Rise at the same point in its respective run. Surprisingly enough, it seems unlikely War will be able to reach or top the Stateside total of Rise, which was $176.7 million. In the late summer/early fall of 2011, Rise stayed in the top 10 on the charts for seven consecutive weeks, holding steadily as the buzz built. War is already out of the top 10 five weeks into its release and didn't have nearly as strong legs. It's no longer in high demand and should continue to slide down.
This is an illustration of how timing can be everything for a film's prospects. Both Rise and Dawn were fortunate enough to not face much competition. The former, which premiered during the typically slow time of August, essentially had the multiplex to itself for an extended period of time, as it didn't face many other high-profile genre offerings. In the case of the latter, it arrived in the wake of the critically-panned Guardians of the Galaxy took over theaters. In contrast, War went toe-to-toe with the beloved Homecoming in its first weekend and then was no match for Dunkirk during its second frame. The combination of the MCU's return and an early Oscar contender proved to much for Apes. Additionally, the comedy Girls Trip sured expectations, which made it difficult for War to stand out.
So, in the United States, War for the Planet of the Apes is poised to go down as the lowest-earning installment of the trilogy. However, that doesn't mean it's a box office failure. There are several examples of films that struggle domestically, but are boosted to profitability thanks to the worldwide gross. Fox will be hoping something similar is in store for Caesar and company, but the figures there aren't exactly what they're looking for, either. And it could cause the studio to rethink the future of the franchise.
No Help Internationally
As we've mentioned before, the old rule of thumb is in order to make its money back, a film needs to gross double its production budget globally. In the case of War, which was made for $150 million, its magic number is $300 million. With a worldwide total of $314 million, the most recent Apes film has cracked that barrier, but this is hardly reason to celebrate. To date, it's turned a profit of a measly $14 million, which is definitely not what executives hope for when they green light a new film in a classic sci-fi franchise with brand recognition. It goes without saying War is lagging behind both of its predecessors in this are as well. Dawn was a bona fide hit with $710.6 million globally, while Rise brought in $481.8 million on a $93 million budget. Unless there's some miraculous turnaround, War will finish third in the trilogy in worldwide gross as well.
This matter becomes all the more troubling for Fox, since they've already released Apes in a majority of the world. According to the IMDb schedule, the film has three premieres left - South Korea (August 15), China (September 15), and Japan (October 13). Normally, that Chinese date would be of most importance, since over the last few years the country has transformed into the second-largest film market in the world. Dawn was a benefactor of this development, earning $107.3 million in China during its run. However, Hollywood's blossoming romance with the country has hit a bit of a snag recently, meaning studios can't always rely on Chinese audiences to raise revenue. It's no guarantee that War will be able to replicate Dawn's Chinese performance, especially since it came up short everywhere else. The good news is that it's turned a tiny profit prior to China, so Apes only has something to gain later this fall.
Looking at the numbers for Dawn, it brought in $30.5 million from South Korea and $12.7 million in Japan. If War duplicates (or comes close) to the China/South Korea/Japan total of Dawn, it would add about $150.5 million to its global total. That would raise the film's cumulative haul to $464.5 million (as of this writing, adding the current $314 worldwide gross) - a profit of approximately $164.5 million. That would be enough to bankroll another Apes movie, but it's a far cry from what the other two films in the series did. Rise's profit was $295.8 million, while Dawn's was $370.6 million. The Planet of the Apes filmmakers are keen to add more installments to the franchise, but it will be interesting to see if Fox decides it's a worthwhile investment. The studio is getting in the business of spreading X-Men films over the course of a calendar year, with X-Men: Dark Phoenix all coming in 2018. Depending on how that shakes out, they may decide to invest more in that mutants.
Though War for the Planet of the Apes definitely underperformed, it doesn't necessarily have to be a death blow for the franchise. History has shown there's an audience for this property, particularly when there aren't any other major blockbusters playing. From the looks of things, War was dealt a bad hand having to face Homecoming and Dunkirk, both of which continue to do well at the box office. If it were released around the world in August instead of July, it might have done better, injecting some life into the dog days of summer. As it stands, Fox has a film that made them a minimal profit.
Conclusion
The Planet of the Apes franchise is in an interesting place. Caesar's story is now complete, and Serkis' character was easily the most marketable aspect of these modern movies. No fourth entry has been green lit yet, with Apes creative driving force Matt Reeves getting to work on directing Star Trek Beyond, but Fox was probably hoping for a little more out of their big summer movie. The trilogy had a release pattern of a new movie every three years, and it's difficult to say there would be much widespread interest in another one come 2020 if the demand was relatively low for War.
Even if this is the last we see of the apes on the big screen for a while, Fox has nothing to be ashamed of. The rebooted franchise has brought in $1.5 billion globally, which is probably better than what the rosiest optimist would have predicted before Rise came out in 2011. With some better luck, War will be able to be a respectable, if minor, hit and end the series on a high note commercially.
