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Rise of the Planet of the Apes wins weekend box office (again)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes continued to pound its chest at the top of the box office this weekend, beating out four new films premiering over the three-day span.

The reboot of the Planet of the Apes franchise pulled in $27.5 million its second weekend in theaters, putting it over the $100 million mark domestically in just ten days.

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Taking the runner-up spot was The Help, which premiered on Wednesday and pulled in $25.5 million its first weekend. The film is an adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s bestselling novel and stars Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Octavia Spencer.

One of the other films to hit the weekend box office for the first time was Final Destination 5, which didn’t do nearly as well as its predecessors in the popular franchise. The movie managed to snag just $18.4 million, prompting some to wonder whether the series of films about teens who narrowly escape death only to end up dying in gruesome, complicated, Rube Goldberg-style fashion might have reached the end of its own box-office life.

The Smurfs came in at fourth place in the weekend box office with $13.5 million, a tally which also put it over the $100 million mark domestically. The movie about the three-apples-high characters is now entering its fourth week in theaters.

Finally, the comedy 30 Seconds or Less did less than stellar at the box office, pulling in only $13 million its opening weekend.

Rick Marshall
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
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